The White Sox 6-5 loss to the Athletics Friday in Sacramento mirrored several others from the early stages of the 2025 season.

Whether it’s not being able to come through with a clutch hit with runners in scoring position, squandering a late lead, or having a rally end one step shy of a comeback, the White Sox fell just short yet again on Friday. It marked their seventh one-run loss of the season to go along with four additional two-run losses.

The White Sox fell to 6-20, the worst record in the American League and four wins shy of the Minnesota Twins and Baltimore Orioles. The Colorado Rockies, at 4-21, are the only team with a worse record. The biggest difference, though, is the Rockies’ minus-60 run differential compared to the White Sox at minus-31, which much closer to the 10-14 Orioles at minus-27, the 12-13 Angels at minus-24, or even the AL West-leading 15-11 Texas Rangers at minus-13.

But what ultimately matters most are the win and loss columns, and the White Sox largely haven’t done the small things required to come out on top in these close games. Friday’s game was a prime example.

The White Sox entered the Athletics series last in MLB with a .162 batting average with runners in scoring position, including a 5-for-68 run in the previous nine games. The first chance on Friday came in the second inning after a Brooks Baldwin double, but Athletics starter Luis Severino got out of the inning with a groundout by Miguel Vargas and a flyout by Joshua Palacios.

Luis Robert Jr. tried to get into scoring position for the heart of the White Sox order in the third, but he was caught stealing at second. Vargas, with recent adjustments to his swing, stance and approach, came through in the fifth by driving Severino’s sweeper to the opposite field for an RBI single. Palacios had runners on the corner in the next at-bat, but Athletics shortstop Jacob WIlson made a strong through across his body to beat Palacios at first.

White Sox manager Will Venable implemented a new strategy with the pitching staff on Friday, and it worked well for some time. He used left-hander Tyler Gilbert as an opener, and he tossed a scoreless first with two strikeouts and a single. Venable then turned to Opening Day starter Sean Burke, who entered the game with a 6.23 ERA.

Burke began his outing with three shutout innings, allowing just one base runner. But Wilson attacked the second pitch of the seventh inning, an inside slider he drove 376 feet for a game-tying solo home run to left field.

After a single by Robert in the sixth, the White Sox took back the lead with a double by Nick Maton with a 102.9 mph exit velocity. Matt Thaiss gave Chicago a 3-1 lead in the following at-bat as Athletics center fielder JJ Bleday couldn’t secure a diving catch, ruled a double.

Burke ran into some trouble in the sixth as he hung a slider that Tyler Soderstrom knocked for a single, followed by a five-pitch walk to Bleday with outside misses. Wilson lined a Burke slider back up the middle, which was always going to score one run. But Robert couldn’t field the ball cleanly as he charged in from center field, an error that allowed the game-tying run to score.

The White Sox had a chance to regain the lead in the seventh after a Vargas double, but Palacios and Robert whiffed at offspeed pitches for inning-ending strikeouts.

Burke’s day was over after a one-out walk to Luis Urias in the seventh. He was replaced by Jared Shuster, who struck out Lawrence Butler in his first at-bat. But Shuster’s changeup and slider caught a bit too much of the plate in the next two at-bats as the Athletics took a 5-3 lead with an RBI double by Brent Rooker and an RBI single by Soderstrom.

In his sixth appearance of the season, Burke’s final line read 5.1 innings, five hits, four runs, three earned runs, two walks and five strikeouts. Shuster gave up a sacrifice fly in the eighth, which extended the Athletics lead to 6-3. He finished with two earned runs and four hits allowed in one inning.

The Athletics brought in vaunted closer Mason Miller in the ninth. He entered Friday’s game with zero earned run across eight innings, along with just four hits, one walk and a whopping 17 strikeouts. But the White Sox had a beat on him.

Lenyn Sosa ripped a 101.3 mph high-and-outside fastball for a single with a 101.6 mph exit velocity. Baldwin, known for his aggressive approach, was ready for a first-pitch, inside fastball and drove the 99 mph pitch for a 381-foot home run. That trimmed the deficit to 6-5 with zero outs in the ninth.

Vargas and pinch-hitter Edgar Quero hit the ball hard in the next two at-bats against Miller, but both flew to the outfield for outs. Miller got Robert to chase a low-and-outside slider, ending the game and handing the White Sox their seventh one-run loss of the season.