Dodgers Dominate as Shane Smith's Early Brilliance Fades Fast
Wow, if you're a White Sox fan, Tuesday night was tough to watch. Shane Smith, the rookie who had shown so much promise just a month ago, really struggled on the mound at Dodger Stadium. It started off looking like it might be a solid outing—he retired two MVPs right away: Shohei Ohtani grounded out, Freddie Freeman flew out. But then, things spiraled out of control fast.
Smith walked the next two batters—Will Smith and Max Muncy—after getting ahead in the count. That’s where it all fell apart. A few pitches later, Teoscar Hernández knocked in a run, Andy Pages doubled in another, and then Michael Conforto, who was hitting just .175, came up with a two-run single. Boom—just like that, it was 4-0 Dodgers. All of it with two outs.
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What stung the most? Smith had Pages at a 1-2 count, then left an 83-mph curveball hanging right over the plate. That pitch should’ve been buried or at least off the edge. Instead, Pages smashed it into the corner at 102 mph. One mistake pitch in a bad situation can do serious damage, and the Dodgers took full advantage.
Smith ended up giving up six runs on six hits in just 4⅔ innings. This isn’t just a blip either—this was his third bad start in a row. He’s given up 16 earned runs over his last 11 innings, and his ERA has jumped from 2.37 to 3.86. A month ago, people were whispering All-Star potential. Now, it’s about salvaging confidence and turning things around.
To his credit, Smith owned up to it postgame. He said, “You get to positions to be successful, and then you don’t make pitches.” That honesty’s refreshing, but at this level, it’s about execution. Pitchers live and die by it.
Even when he looked like he might recover—striking out two in the fifth—he gave up a laser to Ohtani, who crushed his 30th homer of the year. That's five straight seasons with 30 or more bombs for Ohtani. You can't make mistakes to a guy like that and expect to get away with it.
Smith’s got talent, no doubt. But like he said himself, “At some point, you have to turn the ship around.” Let’s hope he finds the rudder before his season sinks any further.
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