Flowers steals show from Dunn with 2 late home runs
When he struck out against Hector Noesi in the fourth inning Monday night, Adam Dunn heard cheers from the small crowd at U.S. Cellular Field.
What a difference a week makes.
Traded from the White Sox to the A's on Aug. 31, Dunn often was booed by the home crowd for striking out at a rapid rate.
The 34-year-old designated hitter made a quick return to the Cell wearing an Oakland uniform, and Dunn was 1-for-5 with 2 strikeouts in the Athletics' 5-4 loss to the Sox in 12 innings.
White Sox catcher Tyler Flowers stole the spotlight from Dunn, tying the game at 4-4 on a solo home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and winning it with a one-out homer in the 12th.
"For Flo, to be able to tie one up and then win it, you're just happy for him," manager Robin Ventura said after the Sox snapped a four-game losing streak. "He's gone through some struggles offensively and has looked good at other points. For everything he does behind the plate, it's nice for him to get this side of it, too. Those are 2 big at-bats."
Said Flowers: "I definitely didn't expect to hit a home run either time."
Signed to a four-year, $56 million contract before the 2011 season, Dunn did hit 106 home runs with the Sox, but he struck out 399 times in 1,842 at-bats and never hit higher than .220.
Dunn understands why he was far from a fan favorite on the South Side.
"I get it," he said. "I had a (NFL) fantasy team not do very well this week, and I wasn't happy with those guys either. But I get it. Obviously it makes it harder, but it comes with the territory."
Before the game, Dunn got a call from the White Sox' clubhouse and was asked to come over to the trainer's room. When he arrived, former teammates Chris Sale and John Danks presented him with a golf cart emblazoned with his beloved Texas Longhorns logo.
It was an unexpected parting gift, and Dunn took an emotional turn when talking about it.
"I don't know … it's awesome," he said. "I don't know how else to put it."
Eye on the future:
Adam Dunn's contract is off the books, the White Sox also saved potential 2015 salaries by trading Gordon Beckham and Alejandro De Aza in August. Looking ahead to next season, the Sox appear to be in solid financial shape and that should help fill many of the current holes.
"I think we'll have a fair amount of flexibility," general manager Rick Hahn said. "Our commitments headed into 2015 are not too great, and although we don't have a payroll number yet, and we won't for a few months, I think there's going to be a fair amount of room.
"We'll have to decide based on the options available to us whether it makes sense to invest heavily in one or two targets or try to spread it around between a half-dozen or so."
2015 schedule out:
Next season's schedule is out, and the White Sox open 2015 with an April 6 game at Kansas City. The Sox' home opener is April 10, against Minnesota.
Other highlights include a May 11-13 interleague series against Milwaukee at Miller Park and a June 30-July 1 visit to St. Louis, with the Cardinals returning to U.S. Cellular Field July 21-22.
The White Sox and Cubs also play two interleague series, each three games. The Sox play at Wrigley Field July 10-12 and the Cubs visit the Cell Aug. 14-16.
sgregor@dailyherald.com