White Sox manager Tony La Russa does it ag atlanta baseball jersey ain, walks Guardians' Oscar Gonzalez with a 1

Is Jerry Reinsdorf still watching White Sox baseball? He and the rest of the team's decision-makers might have received a gut check Friday.

In this week's episode of "The Misadvent atlanta braves world series hoodie ures of Tony La Russa," the White Sox manager added to his portfolio of puzzling moves by issuing Guardians right fielMLB Snapback Hats der Oscar Gonzalez an intentional walk on a 1-2 count to load the bases with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. First base was open after a double steal.

La Russa put Gonzalez on with trade deadline acquisition Jake Diekman on the mound and the Sox trailing 5-2, much to the befuddlement of the White Sox's TV broadcast booth.

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It's the second time this season La Russa has intentionally walked a player on a 1-2 count. The first was against the Dodgers' Trea Turner to get to Max Muncy. That time, it ended with Muncy hitting a three-run home run off Bennett Sousa to atlanta braves jersey dog put the Dodgers up 10-5 in the sixth inning. To La Russa's "credit," the White Sox got out of the inning unscathed Friday as Jimmy Lambert retired Owen Miller on a fly ball.

"You know what he hits against left-handed pitching with 0-1 or two strikes? You know what he hits? Well, do you atlanta braves merch know what Muncy hits with two strikes against a left-handed pitcher? I mean is that really a question? Because it was 1-2?" La atlanta braves red jersey large Russa said after the Turner walk.

"Turner with a strike left against a left-hander is something you can avoid if you can, and we had an open base and Muncy happened to be the guy behind him, and that's a better matchup."

He also walked the Guardians' Jose Ramirez in Gerrit Cole Yankees Jerseys July on an 0-1 count. That drew the ire of former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. So this has now become a monthly occurrence.

La Russa has received a lot of criticism this season, much of it well-earned, as the White Sox fight for a playoff spot. In addition to his baffling intentional walk philosophy, he has been seen appearing to be sleeping on the bench. And just this week, he seemed to take a fan's advice to use Adam Engel as a pinch runner for Eloy Jimenez, although La Russa dismissed the idea. 

While it's potentially piling on to say the apparent sleepiness and inattention are definitely as they appear, the reality is he's under a microscope and has hardly earned the benefit of the doubt. The White Sox are 61-59 on the season, 3.5 games behind the division-leading Guardians and two games back of a wild-cManny Machado ard spot in the American League.

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