White Sox lose 119th game to tie AL record as Padres win 6-2 on three home runs. Originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox tied the American League record with their 119th loss Saturday night, as Xander Bogaerts and Elias DÃaz each hit two-run homers to help the San Diego Padres to a 6-2 victory and move closer to a playoff spot.
The White Sox (36-119) tied the AL record set by the 2003 Detroit Tigers, who finished 43-119. One more loss for Chicago in the last seven games would tie the New York Mets’ record of 120 losses set in 1962. Chicago is 9-48 since the All-Star break.
The 1899 Cleveland Spiders hold the Major League record for losses: 20-134.
Chris Flexen (2-15) has gone winless in his last 23 starts as the White Sox lose their 20th consecutive road series.
David Peralta also hit a home run for San Diego (89-66), which held on to a two-game lead over Arizona to become the NL’s top wild card.
The Padres cut their magic number to two to secure their second playoff spot in three seasons. They got no help from Atlanta or the New York Mets, who both won Saturday.
Bogaerts gave the Padres a 2-0 lead with his drive to left-center field with no outs in the second inning off Flexen. It was Bogaerts’ 11th home run, and he came aboard with rookie Jackson Merrill aboard on a leadoff single.
Peralta homered with one out in the third, his eighth. Merrill, seen by some as the favorite to be NL Rookie of the Year, hit an RBI single in the fifth.
DÃaz hit a two-run homer in the eighth off former Padres reliever Enyel De Los Santos. It was his sixth.
Lenyn Sosa hit an RBI single in the sixth inning for the White Sox against MartÃn Pérez (5-5). Bryan Ramos got a basesloaded single off Padres reliever Jason Adam in the eighth inning.
Perez held Chicago to one run and two hits in 5 1/3 innings, striking out six and walking three.
Tanner Scott got five outs for his 22nd save.
Flexen allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings, striking out three and walking two.
TRAINER’S ROOM
White Sox: Returned RHP Michael Soroka from a rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte and reinstated him from the injured list. Designated RHP Chad Kuhl to the assignment. Returned RHP Jordan Leasure from his rehab assignment, reinstated him from the IL and sent him to Charlotte.
NEXT
White Sox RHP Sean Burke (1-0, 2.25 ERA) and Padres RHP Yu Darvish (6-3, 3.21) are scheduled to start in the final game of the series on Sunday.
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