PITTSBURGH _ After rallying to beat the Cubs on Sunday, the White Sox were flying high.
The good vibes didn't last. They nosedived during their first night in Pittsburgh.
"Baseball has tremendous peaks and valleys," Sox manager Rick Renteria said before Tuesday night's game. "We're trying to come out of the valley and start to level off. Get to 30,000 feet and ride for a few hours."
The smooth ride ended within minutes.
The Sox's best pitcher, Reynaldo Lopez, got shelled in a 7-0 loss, which dropped their major-league worst record to 10-28.
Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier deposited Lopez's second pitch into the right-field seats. Lopez then gave up a single and back-to-back doubles during a four-run inning.
Lopez recorded just six outs before getting yanked. He allowed six runs and seven hits, walking two with no strikeouts. He entered the night with a 2.44 ERA.
White Sox second baseman Yoan Moncada nearly jumped from the disabled list into the Allegheny River. He walloped a Trevor Williams pitch far enough to smack into a sign past the right-field seats that says PIRATES CHARITIES. A statistician in the press box noted that few balls reach that sign.
The sign, it should be mentioned, is in foul territory. So Moncada's glorious shot was only good for some ooohs and ahhhs. He struck out on an offspeed pitch on the outside corner and went 1-for-4 on the night with a single to right-center.
