Done in by 5-run 2nd inning, Chicago White Sox lose 12-2 to St. Louis Cardinals for their 50th defeat

The Chicago White Sox became the second team in the majors to reach 50 losses this season thanks to a second inning Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals that they’d rather forget.

The Cardinals took full advantage of the sloppy inning, scoring five runs on the way to clobbering the Sox 12-2 in front of 16,974 at Rate Field.

“They found some holes there, not a lot of hard contact,” manager Will Venable said. “Obviously giving them extra outs, two innings there, made (starter) Shane (Smith’s) job tougher. Just got to convert those balls into outs somehow.

“Shane has had that a couple of times and has had to work through it. Today we weren’t able to stop the bleeding.”

The Sox lost their sixth straight, falling to 23-50. Only the Colorado Rockies (16-57) have more losses.

Tuesday’s game started well for the Sox when Miguel Vargas doubled and scored on a single by Edgar Quero in the first.

It all fell apart in the second. The first two St. Louis batters reached via a single by Nolan Arenado and a walk by Lars Nootbaar.

Pedro Pagés placed a bunt down the third-base line. He was slow getting out of the box, initially thinking the ball would roll foul.

Vargas charged from third base. He avoided contact with Smith, who also was going after the ball, but threw wildly to first. A run scored on the throwing error.

“He makes that play nine times out of 10 there and just was one that he wasn’t able to convert and we weren’t able to close the door there,” Venable said. “Just makes it tough when you give them extra outs.”

Smith hit the next batter, loading the bases.

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Brendan Donovan then got jammed but hit a dribbler with a 69 mph exit velocity just out of the reach of shortstop Vinny Capra for an RBI single, putting the Cardinals ahead 2-1.

Masyn Winn hit a grounder to first. Lenyn Sosa charged and appeared to have a chance for a force at the plate. He elected to tag out Winn, and Pagés scored to make it 3-1.

“It felt like he had time to come home,” Venable said. “That’s one of those where, whatever happens, you want to make sure you get an out and he chose to get the out at first.”

With runners on second and third, the Sox brought the infield in — as they often have with a runner on third and less than two outs.

Iván Herrera connected on an 0-2 inside pitch for a two-run bloop single to shallow right field, extending the lead to 5-1. The hit had an exit velocity of 56.1 mph.

“That’s just baseball catching up to you sometimes,” Smith said. “Some loud contact in Houston that gets caught and soft contact today that doesn’t. So that’s baseball, that’s life. Move on.”

The Sox never rebounded.