Not pretty, but Sox happy to be 2-0
The White Sox have a three-prong plan of success this season — quality pitching, air-tight defense and manufacturing more runs.
Over the course of the long season, the Sox are going to stray from the blueprint at times.
When they do, emerging with a win is going to feel even better.
Take Wednesday afternoon's 5-2 victory over the Royals as an example.
Jake Peavy was borderline sharp in his first start of the year, and the White Sox' bullpen was even better, allowing 1 hit over 3 scoreless innings.
But the Sox' defense was a mess, committing 3 errors on a cold, windy day.
And the offense, well, it was the longball or nothing, much like last season.
Retreating to the clubhouse after a second straight win over a Kansas City team that's been a royal pain the past two years, the White Sox weren't about to apologize for anything.
Let's start with the defense.
Shortstop Alexei Ramirez and left fielder Dayan Viciedo each made errors in the third inning, and the Royals took advantage with 1 unearned run off Peavy.
In the seventh, left-field replacement Dewayne Wise made another error, but relief pitcher Jesse Crain and Matt Lindstrom were able to pitch over the miscue, as well as a walk by left-handed specialist Donne Veal.
The way the Sox viewed the defense, it was just one of those days.
“Everyone overcame adversity,” Peavy said after pitching 6 innings and allowing 1 earned run on 4 hits while striking out six. “A bad team or a team without as much confidence or not as tight as we are — brothers so to speak — stuff can get away from you. We can get into the dugout and laugh it off and say, 'Let's go' and let it go.
“And we did it numerous times today. Just rallying and saying, 'This isn't going to beat us.' It's big for our team.”
Stressing situational hitting all spring in order to prevent the offense from relying so much on the home run like last year, the White Sox' lone run in Monday's opening-day win over the Royals came on Tyler Flowers' homer.
On Wednesday, Adam Dunn, Flowers and Ramirez hit solo home runs and Viciedo delivered a 2-run shot off new Kansas City starter Ervin Santana.
So, in two games, all 6 Sox runs have come via the home run.
“Everybody talks about our home runs and this and that, but we've got guys 1 through 9 who can hit the ball out of the park,” Dunn said. “I guess it doesn't really matter how you score runs, only that you score them.”
In time, manager Robin Ventura expects the White Sox to score runs without having to overly rely on the baseball sailing over the fence.
“It's a little like last year, but it's only two games in,” Ventura said. “Right now, you take whatever you can get. But I think that will even out over the year.”
Peavy had 5 of his strikeouts in the first two innings, but the fielding miscues and K.C.'s ability to foul off pitch after pitch cut the right-hander's season debut shorter than expected.
sgregor@dailyherald.com