White Sox lose to Mets and set franchise record with 107th defeat

CHICAGO – Sean Manaea threw two hits in seven innings, Francisco Lindor hit his 29th home run and the New York Mets beat the Chicago White Sox 2-0 on Sunday, handing them their franchise-record 107th loss.

Chicago (31-107) broke the club record for losses set by the 1970 team. The White Sox also completed the first 0-10 home series in franchise history, becoming the first team since the 1965 Mets to have three consecutive 10-game losses in a season.

Lindor gave New York a 1-0 lead when he homered off Garrett Crochet in the fourth inning. Starling Marte hit an RBI double off the center field wall in the ninth inning against Justin Anderson, and the Mets picked up their fourth straight win and ninth in 13 games, finishing the trip 7-3. They began the day two games behind Atlanta for the final NL wild card spot.

“We knew that here, especially after the games against the Padres and the Diamondbacks, we had to keep the intensity, we had to stay focused and match their energy,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “I'm proud of the guys for taking it day after day. And finally winning the last game 2-0 was important for us.”

Manaea (11-5) struck out five times, walked two and hit a batter with a pitch. The left-hander is 3-0 in his last four games and New York has won 12 of its last 15 games.

He retired his first 11 batters before allowing a walk to Lenyn Sosa, but then caught Sosa on first base to end the fourth inning. The White Sox didn't have a hit until Miguel Vargas hit a single to left with two outs in the fifth inning.

Chicago threatened to score in the seventh inning, but came away empty-handed.

Luis Robert Jr. was hit by a pitch attempting to steal second base, but was thrown out. Andrew Vaughn walked with two outs and Gavin Sheets hit a single off sliding left fielder Jesse Winker, putting runners on the corners. Manaea then put Vargas out of action with a fly to left and escaped the sticky situation.

Reed Garrett struck out all three batters in the eighth inning. Edwin Díaz struck out the team in the ninth inning, earning his 16th save in 22 chances. The Mets thus achieved their sixth shutout of the season – all since July 11.

The White Sox have not lost a game for the 15th time. They have won 22 series – by far the most in the Major League. Miami is in second place with 10.

Chicago is 4-36 since the All-Star break and 3-18 under interim manager Grady Sizemore. The White Sox's worst home series before this one was when they went 0-7 from May 23-29. They have lost 12 consecutive games at Guaranteed Rate Field, which is a single-season record.

Crochet (6-10), one of Chicago's few bright spots, set an American League record by striking out the first seven batters and missing eight times in 3⅓ innings. The All-Star left-hander allowed one run and three hits without issuing a walk.

The White Sox are limiting Crochet's workload because he missed most of the last two seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery and played as a reliever before that.

“He was pretty frustrated when I came out there, but I think he knows the situation and knows what we're trying to do,” Sizemore said. “He threw well. He was in a good mood, he had good stuff. It's going to be tough when he's kept on a short leash like that and has so many throws that he can never get as far as he wants to.”