Chicago White Sox Fall Victim to Cruel Twist of Fate Against Seattle Mariners

One day after Dylan Cease threw a no-hitter for the San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox rookie Drew Thorpe got shelled by the Seattle Mariners en route to a blowout loss.

Jul 26, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Drew Thorpe (33) after being relieved against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. / Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

Watching Dylan Cease toss a no-hitter for the San Diego Padres on Thursday likely wasn't easy for Chicago White Sox fans.

Cease didn't toss another gem or add to his resume in any way on Friday, but the knife was twisted again nonetheless.

The White Sox were taking on the Seattle Mariners at Guaranteed Rate Field, returning home after starting the second half with an 0-7 road trip. Drew Thorpe, who Chicago got back from the Padres when they shipped off Cease in March, was taking the mound looking for his sixth consecutive quality start.

Thorpe's outing on Friday was far from quality, as it turned out.

Instead, the 23-year-old rookie got shelled by the Mariners' lineup right from the jump. Thorpe allowed six hits, two walks, three home runs and eight earned runs in 0.2 innings of work on Friday, getting stuck with the loss in the process.

That would be a brutal stat line for any pitcher against any opponent, but X user Jay Cuda pointed out the irony of it happening just one day after Cease's no-hitter. On top of that, he also noted that Seattle entered Friday ranked No. 30 in MLB with a .216 batting average.

The Mariners were also averaging just 3.75 runs per game before their 10-0 blowout win on Friday. Chicago has now lost 12 games in a row dating back to July 10, racking up a -48 run differential in that time.

dylan cease throws a no-hitter & the next day the guy the white sox got for him gives up 8 runs in less than an inning to the team with the 30th best batting average in baseball

— Jay Cuda (@JayCuda) July 27, 2024

Thorpe is now 3-2 with a 4.81 ERA and 1.195 WHIP on the season. He entered Friday with a 3.03 ERA, 1.009 WHIP and 1.1 WAR.

Across his two biggest duds on June 16 and July 26, Thorpe allowed 12 hits, seven walks, four home runs and 15 earned runs in 4.0 total innings. He has given up 16 hits, 12 walks, three home runs and six earned runs across 35.1 innings in his other six starts combined, good for a 1.53 ERA and 0.792 WHIP.

Thorpe made his MLB debut against the Mariners on June 11. He went 5.0 innings deep that evening, posting a no decision after giving up three hits, two walks and one earned run.

Cease, meanwhile, is 10-8 with a 3.50 ERA, 0.985 WHIP and 2.7 WAR. He has allowed just two total hits across his last three starts, and he leads the National League with 168 strikeouts.

The White Sox traded Cease, the 2022 AL Cy Young runner up, for Thorpe, outfielder Samuel Zavala, right-handed pitcher Jairo Iriarte and relief pitcher Steven Wilson. Thorpe was ranked as the No. 85 prospect in baseball and the No. 5 prospect in the Padres' farm system, while Zavala was ranked No. 7 and Iriarte was ranked No. 8.

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