GM Chris Getz working on the future as the White Sox approach the end of a miserable season

News

GM Chris Getz working on the future as the White Sox approach the end of a miserable season

2024-09-10 11:36 Last Updated At：11:41

CHICAGO (AP) — White Sox general manager Chris Getz is taking a closer look at the organization's international operations. He is working on hiring a manager. He is shining a light on some of the team's top prospects.

As the White Sox near the end of one of baseball's worst seasons ever, the future is a more promising topic than the dismal present.

“This is the cards that we’ve been dealt at this point,” Getz said. "You try to make the best of it, and I think it’s an opportunity to embrace the situation that we’re in. ... I view it as kind of the frustrating part of the story, but I also know that the future’s looking bright and it’s going to make it just that much sweeter once we get there.”

First, they have to get through this year.

The White Sox dropped to 33-112 when they lost 5-3 to AL Central-leading Cleveland on Monday night. They broke the franchise record with their 107th loss on Sept. 1.

The AL record for most losses belongs to the 2003 Tigers, who went 43-119. Then there is the majors’ modern record for most losses — 120 by the 1962 New York Mets in their inaugural season.

“I think that there’s a lot to learn from for our players and our staff and personally,” Getz said, "and all you can really do right now is apply those learnings to the future.”

That future includes a new manager after Pedro Grifol was fired on Aug. 8. It also includes a new leader for the club's international operations after Marco Paddy was let go as part of a flurry of changes with the team's scouting personnel.

Grady Sizemore has been serving as interim manager since Grifol was dismissed. Getz said the team has built out a process for hiring a new manager and has a list of possibilities, but it hasn't asked for permission to speak to any candidates.

“Our target pool is candidates that are in uniform with other organizations right now,” said Getz, a former big league infielder who was promoted to GM a year ago.

The White Sox are 5-23 since Sizemore took over. They got their first baserunner in the series opener against Cleveland when Andrew Benintendi singled with two out in the seventh inning.

“Today we could have done some things better,” Sizemore said. “Missed a couple opportunities defensively where we didn’t make the play, double-play ball, those cost us runs and would have made it easier to stay in the game. But I’m having fun pushing these guys and trying to get to the point of playing good ball every night.”

Paddy, 60, was in his 12th season with the organization. The White Sox signed more than 150 international free agents during his tenure, including center fielder Luis Robert Jr.

“Marco was here for years, and he accomplished a lot,” Getz said. “We’ve got players on our major league club that are a reflection of his work. However, where we are right now, we’re in the works of building a new academy, more so focused on the scouting process. It’s different from what you’ll see on the amateur side. We need to make a little bit more of a comprehensive approach.”

As part of their focus on the future, the White Sox had Hagen Smith throw out a ceremonial first pitch before the matchup with the Guardians. Smith, his girlfriend and his family also had dinner with Getz on Sunday night.

Smith, 21, was selected by Chicago with the No. 5 pick in this year's amateur draft. The left-hander starred at the University of Arkansas and had a 3.52 ERA in three starts for High-A Winston-Salem before he was shut down for the year for rest.

“It’s really cool. It’s my first time here,” Smith said. “Just trying to take it all in. Seeing the stadium, going around the locker room. My family is here so we’ve had a blast.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Cousins caps winning drive with TD pass to London as Falcons rally past Eagles 22-21

2024-09-17 11:48 Last Updated At：11:51

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kirk Cousins led a flawless last-minute drive for Atlanta and connected with Drake London for a 7-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left to give the Falcons a 22-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.

Saquon Barkley dropped a short pass that stopped the clock with 1:46 left and forced the Eagles to settle for a field goal instead of a game-sealing first down. That was plenty of time for Cousins — especially against an Eagles defense playing soft coverage with a nonexistent pass rush.

The 36-year-old veteran, playing his second game since tearing his Achilles tendon last Oct. 29 while playing for Minnesota, shook off an uneven effort and hit Darnell Mooney for 21 and 26 yards on consecutive plays during the decisive drive.

Cousins found London on a short pass to his right for the tying score, and Younghoe Koo put Atlanta (1-1) on top with a 48-yard extra point after London was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The go-ahead drive took just 65 seconds.

Jalen Hurts had his final pass intercepted by Jessie Bates III to seal Atlanta’s win and set off a wild celebration on the sideline.

The Eagles (1-1) went ahead on Hurts' 1-yard tush push score with 6:47 left. Barkley finished with 95 yards on 22 carries in his home debut for Philadelphia, but his drop provided the Falcons with some hope.

And then Cousins started playing like the QB Atlanta thought it was getting when it signed him to a four-year, $180 million contract.

Cousins finished 20 of 29 for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Atlanta’s first TD was a 41-yarder from Cousins to Mooney, who finished with three catches for 88 yards.

Hurts was 23 of 30 for 183 yards, including a touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith. With No. 1 receiver A.J. Brown out with a hamstring injury, Smith led the Eagles with seven catches for 76 yards and a score.

Jake Elliott kicked two field goals for the Eagles. His 28-yarder with 1:39 left made it 21-15.

Atlanta kept stalling in the red zone, getting three field goals from Koo, before Cousins fired over the middle to Mooney, who shook loose from C.J. Gardner-Johnson and left him on the turf before he somersaulted into the end zone with 1:21 left in the third quarter for a 15-10 lead. Cousins failed on the 2-point conversion pass.

Hurts had some juice in his step during a second-quarter TD drive, running with abandon for big plays much like he did in the 2022 season. He spiked the ball in a rare, raw show of emotion on a 23-yard run, earning a delay-of-game penalty. He shrugged off the 5-yard setback and scrambled for 9 yards and 15 yards to move the Eagles to Atlanta’s 19.

With comedian Shane Gillis and actor Bradley Cooper among the fans cheering on the Eagles, Hurts connected with Smith in the back of the end zone for a 7-yard TD that made it 7-3.

Under new defensive coordinator Vince Fangio, the Eagles have established an early knack for allowing long drives that end with three points instead of seven. Koo kicked field goals of 39, 22 and 34 yards, the last one enough for a 9-7 lead in the third quarter. In their opener, the Eagles held the Packers to just three field goals when they drove inside the 20.

Rather than take a chip-shot field goal from Elliott, the Eagles’ fourth-and-4 gamble at Atlanta’s 9-yard line in the first quarter failed when Hurts threw an incomplete pass.

Elliott kicked a 29-yarder with 4:31 left in the third quarter for a 10-9 lead.

Bijan Robinson ran for 97 yards for the Falcons. The Eagles stuffed him late on fourth-and-1 at the Atlanta 39.

Barkley was quiet until the go-ahead drive, a week after he rushed for 109 yards and scored three touchdowns against Green Bay. Eagles fans booed when the opening drive of the game ended without Barkley touching the ball. They went wild when he had consecutive 9-yard runs to open the second drive. Barkley had 40 yards rushing in the first half.

Former Eagles QB Nick Foles, who led the franchise to its only Super Bowl title, served as an honorary captain and led the crowd in a rendition of “Fly, Eagles, Fly.”

The Falcons played without LB Nate Landman (calf, quad).

Atlanta hosts Super Bowl champion Kansas City on Sunday.

The Eagles play at New Orleans on Sunday.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl