Luis Robert going on the injured list is ‘a possibility’ after he leaves the Chicago White Sox loss with a groin strain

CLEVELAND — In a trip marked by sloppy weather and sloppy play, the Chicago White Sox took another hit in the eighth inning Thursday against the Cleveland Guardians.

Center fielder Luis Robert exited the 6-3 loss with what manager Tony La Russa called “a little minor groin strain,” according to the initial opinion.

While head athletic trainer James Kruk told La Russa the injury “looked like it was minor and it should be something that heals quickly,” La Russa also acknowledged a stint on the injured list for Robert is “a possibility, yeah.”

Robert was injured after hitting a grounder to shortstop Andrés Giménez.

“I was running hard down the line and when I was getting to the base, I felt a little pull,” he said through an interpreter.

Robert was hitless in his previous 20 at-bats entering Thursday. After striking out in the first, he snapped the skid with a leadoff double in the fourth. He singled again leading off the sixth before the groundout in the eighth.

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“We’re still early in the season,” Robert said. “I was trying to get into my groove again and feel more comfortable at home plate and now this thing happens. Still plenty of season to go and we’ll see. I definitely was feeling better today at home plate.”

Robert’s early exit capped a series the Sox would rather forget.

Poor weather led to postponements Monday and Tuesday, with Monday’s game to be made up as part of a split doubleheader July 12.

The Sox scored only one run in both ends of Wednesday’s doubleheader, falling 11-1 and 2-1. They committed four errors in Game 1.

Every time the Sox were on the verge of getting back in Thursday’s game, the Guardians responded. The Sox head to Minnesota with a four-game losing streak.

“We were a lot more ourselves today, we played better,” La Russa said. “But they outplayed us the whole series. That happens. We took care of our business. It wasn’t good enough.”

Starter Dylan Cease allowed four runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and two walks in 5⅓ innings.

“It was all right,” Cease said of his outing. “They did a really good job of putting the ball in play. I did OK throwing strikes. It definitely wasn’t the best.

“(The Guardians are) good, they put the ball in play really well. They pitch and play defense too. They’re very fundamentally sound.”

The Guardians had clutch two-out hits, including a two-run home run by Franmil Reyes in the third.

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“(Cease) pitched well enough, he held them down,” La Russa said. “Overall, they had a couple chances there and he pitched out of it. I thought he pitched well, (the Sox) just couldn’t get enough going. We hit some balls hard, could have been a little more fortunate, but that’s the way it is.”

The Sox also had bad breaks on the bases. Trailing 2-0 in the fourth, Robert doubled and Leury García walked. José Abreu’s fly to right was just out of reach for Reyes. Robert initially had to hold up, so García was on his tail around second and third. Robert headed home, where he was thrown out.

“Those are the freak things that happen sometimes,” La Russa said. “If the guy catches the ball, (Robert) was going to tag and advance. Leury’s hustling, runs up his back and nothing you can do but send him.

“I don’t think Luis had a bad play. If he would have been halfway and the guy catches it and he doesn’t get to third, it’s a bad play. And Leury hustling is not a bad play.”

The Sox scored twice in the seventh to get within 4-3 on a play that featured two throwing errors by the Guardians. But Cleveland answered with two in the bottom of the inning.

Now the Sox await answers on Robert’s status. He was limited to 68 games last season because of a hip flexor strain.

While the Sox anticipate the returns of outfielder AJ Pollock (right hamstring strain) and pitcher Lucas Giolito (left abdominal strain) this weekend against the Twins, with Giolito in line to start Sunday, the team still is missing third baseman Yoán Moncada (right oblique strain) and pitcher Lance Lynn (right knee surgery) among others.

“No matter what, our focus has to be on what’s next and try to keep moving forward,” Robert said. “It’s difficult, we have some teammates down, but we have to keep moving forward. There’s no other way around.”