MILWAUKEE – The White Sox were fighting mad after their 11th straight loss Sunday.
At least one of them was — outfielder Tommy Pham, who was thrown out at home trying to score the tying run on a short fly to Brewers left fielder Christian Yelich in the skidding Sox’ 6-3 loss at American Family Field Sunday.
For a team struggling to score runs, third base coach Eddie Rodriguez’ decision to send Pham on Yelich’s average-at-best arm was far from egregious. But Pham was set off when, after he took a path well inside the baseline but making a clean slide, catcher William Contreras celebrated by tapping his chest and said something Pham took exception to.
“One run ballgame. Close play at the plate. Actually, it wasn’t even f—ing close,” Pham said. “It was a shallow fly ball to left field. You would expect the left fielder to throw the base runner out on that play.
“The situation of the game, you know, third base coach sends you, you gotta go. I’m nailed out at home .. by a mile. I’m going to the dugout and I hear the tough guy with all the hoo-rah s—.”
Pham was held off by plate umpire Edwin Jimenez, teammates and manager Pedro Grifol and umpires on both sides of the field held their hands up to both dugouts to stave off escalation. Pham took his position in left field shadow boxing.
“So, I’ll never start anything but I’ll be prepared to finish it,” he said. “There’s a reason why I do all kinds of fighting [boxing] in the offseason because I’m prepared to f— somebody up. So, you can take it at what it is.”
The losing streak is the Sox’ longest since 1956, and they’re two shy of the club record of 13 from Aug. 9-26, 1924.
They’ve lost 15 of 16 and lost for the 19th time after leading. They’ve lost five straight series and have been swept in three straight, by the Orioles, Blue Jays and Brewers.
Paul DeJong hit his team-high ninth homer in the fourth against Freddy Peralta, cutting the Brewers lead to 4-3. Gary Sanchez’ bloop single with two outs in the eighth against John Brebbia provided the insurance runs.
“I thought it was a pretty good chance for us to score a run, put the pressure on them to make a play,” DeJong said. “Yelich came through with a nice throw, questionable distance but I like the gamble there in that situation. I don’t doubt Tommy’s instincts or Eddie, they just made a play on us. It was a big moment for them in the game, they got a little emotional and Tommy took it personally.
“It’s a frustration thing with the team and it’s unfortunate it went that way.”
Also frustrating: Pham’s out was the second on the bases of the inning. Pinch runner Zach Remillard, pinch running for center fielder Dominic Fletcher who was banged up after crashing against the wall to take a three-run homer away from Contreras in the seventh, was out at third trying to advance on a pitch that rolled away from Contreras.
Pham, signed in April and likely to be traded to a contender before the July 30 trade deadline, said what he did and then walked away before taking further questions.
“I like Tommy Pham,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “He’s been criticized, I know, for a number of things, but he plays with intensity and competes hard.”
The Brewers have engaged in bench clearers with the Orioles, Rays and Red Sox this season, and Murphy quipped, “Tommy is just trying to say, ‘I can play for you guys, man. Bring me over there. See, I’m just like you, I can do that.”
Pham can cool off Monday, an off day, before the Sox try stopping the double-digit skid at Wrigley Field, where they play Tuesday and Wednesday.
“I thought our guys battled, battled the whole series,” Grifol said. “We were in position to win games. We didn’t do it. Take the day off and get ready for the Cubs.”