White Sox extend franchise-record losing streak to 20, MLB's longest since 1988

The Minnesota Twins beat the White Sox, 13-7 on Sunday, extending Chicago's franchise-record losing streak to 20 games, one shy of the American League record.

Chicago's streak is the longest in MLB in 36 years, dating back to the 1988 Baltimore Orioles. Those Orioles got off to an 0-21 start for the longest losing streak in AL history.

A White Sox loss on Monday at the Oakland Athletics would tie those Orioles. The White Sox are three straight losses from tying the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies, who hold the MLB record with 23 consecutive losses.

The White Sox play their next three games against the 46-67 (.407) Oakland A's, the second-worst team in the AL by a wide margin. The worst team, of course, is the White Sox, whose 27-87 (.237) record has them 41.5 games behind the first-place Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central. The next-worst team in the AL Central is the fourth-place Detroit Tigers (53-60), who stand 26.5 games ahead of the White Sox.

The White Sox initially broke a franchise record for consecutive loss last week with their 16th straight in a 4-3 defeat to the Kansas City Royals. Sunday's loss to the Twins wasn't nearly as close. Minnesota scored two runs in the first inning then left the second with an 8-0 lead.

The White Sox scored five unanswered runs through the seventh inning to cut their deficit to 8-5. But the Twins added two runs in the bottom of the seventh and three more in the eighth to ensure that Chicago's hopes of ending its losing streak were short-lived.

Willi Castro went 3 for 5 at the plate for the Twins with one run and three RBI. Royce Lewis was 2 for 4 with a home run, three RBI and three runs scored. Nine different Twins recorded hits, while six reached base on walks.

Five different White Sox pitchers took the mound Sunday. Three of them allowed multiple earned runs. Starter Chris Flexen took the brunt of the damage and the loss, allowing seven hits, eight runs (six of them earned), one home run and three walks while striking out three in 1 2/3 innings pitched.

The losing streak is the second of note for these White Sox, who previously set a single-season franchise record with their 14th straight loss in June. That record has now been surpassed six times and running as the White Sox threaten to record their own ignominious entries into the AL and MLB record books. They can only hope a three-game series against the AL's second-worst team is the cure for what ails them.