Robin Ventura has been down this lonely path before: losing streaks, hitting slumps, defensive lapses.
Every big-league player experiences exhilarating highs and depressing lows that this humbling game invariably yields.
And now the White Sox manager is challenged with the added frustration of not being in direct control of the performances of his players on the field. Yet he is held accountable. That comes with the job.
"It's frustrating, especially when you look at offensively the things you expect of guys just playing normal," Ventura said.
"We're not asking them to do anything more than they're capable of doing.