MINNEAPOLIS — Chris Flexen appeared to get out of a first-inning jam on Sunday when Max Kepler pulled a grounder to second base.
But Brooks Baldwin couldn’t come up with the ball cleanly and Byron Buxton scored from second on the fielding error.
Jose Miranda followed with an RBI single and the Sox suddenly found themselves in an early two-run hole against the Minnesota Twins.
Those things tend to happen when a team is in a funk. And the Sox are in one for the ages.
The Sox saw their franchise-record skid reach 20 with Sunday’s 13-7 loss in front of 28,302 at Target Field.
“Running out of words for it,” Flexen said of the losing streak. “It’s the thing we keep bringing up every day after another tough loss, but we’ve just got to find a way to pull forward and plug through.”
It’s been the type of stretch where miscues are magnified and innings have snowballed quickly.
That was the case in the second inning when the Twins knocked Flexen out of the game with six runs in the frame — including a three-run home run by Royce Lewis.
The Sox were down eight runs after two innings. They fought back, getting within 10-7 in the top of the eighth, but could never catch the Twins.
Flexen allowed eight runs (six earned) on seven hits with three strikeouts and three walks in 1 2/3 innings as the Sox joined the 1969 Montreal Expos, two Philadelphia A’s clubs (1943 and 1916) and the 1906 Boston Americans with the third-longest losing streak in the major leagues since 1901.
The Philadelphia Phillies lost 23 consecutive games in 1961 and the Baltimore Orioles lost 21 straight in 1988.
The Sox have been outscored 131-48 during the 20-game slide. At 27-87, they are 60 games under .500 for the first time in franchise history.
“A losing streak like this, you can roll over,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “I was proud of these guys to keep grinding at-bats out, running the bases, we had guys running around and putting together good at-bats.
“Baldwin (three hits, one RBI), (Andrew) Benintendi (two hits, including a two-run home run), (Andrew) Vaughn (three hits, two RBIs) had big days so there were positive things in this loss, but at the end of the day we lost 20 in a row. That’s painful and it sucks but we have to find a way to be professionals and do what we’ve got to do.”
Grifol said there were two ways to approach the predicament: “Put your head down and quit, or head up high, chest out and get back after it tomorrow the way we’re supposed to.”
Questions continue regarding Grifol’s future, with USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reporting that a meeting took place Wednesday between the manager, general manager Chris Getz and Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf.
“I have had conversations with Jerry and Chris, what we discuss in those conversations I’m not going to share here today,” Grifol said before Sunday’s game. “Those are private. Obviously, it pertains to me and the organization and where we’re at. It’s not the right time to discuss any of that right now.
“I’ve said this before and I’m going to say it again. This gets taken out of context and somehow it gets turned around over and over again, how people want to perceive it. Jerry’s a winner, OK? He’s an absolute winner. He’s a competitor. No, he’s not content. Who is?”
Grifol continued, “But I know in my heart what his intentions are. I know what he wants to see this organization do. And those are my feelings. Take it how you want to take it. I’ve had enough conversations with the man that I know what he’s looking for and I know what’s in his heart and what he wants for this organization and the fans of Chicago and you know, it’s our responsibility to give it to him.
“And if we don’t, well, he’s got to make decisions. That’s just the way it is. He’s an incredible owner, an incredible man. Like I said, I know what’s in his heart. I know how much he loves Chicago and how much he loves those fans.”
The Sox — along with the 1916 A’s — are the only teams in MLB history to lose 87-plus times in the first 114 games of a season.
With Sunday’s defeat, the Sox were swept for the 18th time this season. They’ve been swept in six straight series and wrapped up the season series 1-12 against the Twins.
“Even though the results that we’re having as a team aren’t good, and we know that, we have to still come here every day and do our best,” center fielder Luis Robert Jr. said through an interpreter. “Because we know that if you do what you’re supposed to do as individuals, you’re going to help the team to get better, to do better.”
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