Sitting in chairman Jerry Reinsdorf’s suite Monday, with a view from above while serving a one-game suspension for his involvement in the White Sox’ brawl Saturday with the Guardians, manager Pedro Grifol had a bird’s-eye view of his baseball team, which needs to change.
On the field, off it, inside and out. Play cleaner. Play better fundamental baseball. Be accountable. All of it.
So it goes when the team is 23 games below .500 with nothing to play for in the final eight weeks of the season.
Grifol said the coaching staff is teaching a lot more now than it was at the beginning of the season. Perhaps there will be some kind of payoff next season.
‘‘It’s critical to the direction that we’re going,’’ Grifol said.
For these Sox, there’s only one way to go — and that’s up. And there’s more than one way to win a game, Grifol said.
‘‘Not just sitting back [and] waiting for a home run,’’ he said. ‘‘[Pitchers] attacking the strike zone, fielding your position. Everybody holding everybody accountable. That’s important for us. We have to do that as a staff, and the players have to hold themselves accountable, too. So it’s fun. We’re having a good time, but it’s also extremely important for where we’re going.’’
Where exactly that is remains to be seen. For fans who’ll be asked to renew season tickets for next season, who’s holding whom accountable — in the front office, on the coaching staff and in the clubhouse — is a question begging to be answered.
‘‘You give the players the freedom to communicate, a chance to voice their opinion and become a part of the process,’’ Grifol said. ‘‘We’re in the process of having meetings with hitters individually, and you allow them to be a big-time part of the process.
‘‘And when you allow that, then it’s easy to hold them accountable because they just said some things that they needed to accomplish, as well. It’s no different than if somebody gives you an opportunity to manage. [If] I get the chance to do this and I’m not doing my job, I look at myself in the mirror and hold myself accountable. For me, that’s how accountability is measured.’’
From up top, Grifol said he saw things he wanted to address.
Back in the dugout Tuesday, he saw the Sox’ three-game winning streak end with a 7-1 loss to the Yankees. He saw right-hander Touki Toussaint, who is auditioning for a spot in the 2024 starting rotation, strike out six batters in the first three innings before facing 10 batters in a four-run fourth. He allowed four runs and six hits, walked five and struck out nine in five innings.
Luis Robert Jr. accounted for the Sox’ lone run with his 31st home run in the fourth, extending his club record for homers in a season by a center fielder. But that was it for Sox hitters, who struck out 13 times.
‘‘We’re just not consistent,’’ Grifol said. ‘‘There are games we come out and we control the strike zone. Then there are games we chase — chase a lot.’’
Robert said the goal for the rest of the season is simple.
‘‘Just win as many games as we can and try to finish the season strong and find something in these two months we can carry over for next season,’’ he said through a translator.
Rookie catcher Carlos Perez replaced Yasmani Grandal, who exited with a sore left knee, and threw out Yankees leadoff man Jake Bauers trying to steal second in the sixth.
Reliever Declan Cronin struck out five in two innings and Tanner Banks three in the last two as Sox pitchers finished with 17. Oddly enough, the Sox are 0-11 when their pitchers strike out 14 or more batters.
Banks, however, yielded long homers to pinch hitter Kyle Higashioka and Aaron Judge in the eighth.
