Gregor: Rodon, Chicago White Sox fall to Cardinals

It's been a frustrating season for the White Sox, without a doubt.

A lack of offense has been the big problem, and the lowest-scoring team in baseball had five hitters batting .250 or lower Tuesday night against the Cardinals.

So, what happened when the Sox' bats finally came to life against St. Louis?

The pitching broke down, naturally.

The White Sox put up 5 runs against the Cardinals at U.S. Cellular Field, but rookie starter Carlos Rodon gave up 7 in 4 innings.

"I felt comfortable coming out," Rodon said after the Sox lost to St. Louis 8-5. "I started off the game pretty good, but it just didn't work out."

Rodon retired the Cards in order in the first inning but gave up a 1 run on 2 hits in the second and 2 runs on 3 hits in the third.

In the fourth inning, the 22-year-old lefty gave up a grand slam to Matt Holliday.

Ironically, Tom Holliday, Matt's father, was Rodon's pitching coach at North Carolina State.

"(Tom Holliday) said, 'One day you're probably going to face him,' " Rodon said. "Obviously. I know he's a good hitter and I've talked to Matt before. He hit a good slider. He's a veteran, one of the best, so not much could I do about that."

Trailing 7-0, the White Sox rallied with 2 runs in the fourth inning. In the fifth, Geovany Soto hit a solo home run and Tyler Saladino added a 2-run shot.

Saladino was 3-for-5 and he extended his hitting streak to seven games. He also has homered in back-to-back games.

"He has knowledge of what he's doing and he adjusts," manager Robin Ventura said of his new third baseman. "He just has a nice feel for the game."

Saladino already looks like a solid piece for the White Sox moving forward.

But with 4 losses in five games coming out of the all-star break, the Sox (42-49) are looking more and more like a team that is going to be subtracting players as the July 31 nonwaiver deadline nears.

"It's something that always happens, no matter what," Ventura said of the deadline. "Everybody knows it's there; it just depends on what side of it you're on. For us, you know it's there, but you continue to play. Our guys have to be focused on St. Louis and not 10 days from now."

Sox general manager Rick Hahn is likely shopping veterans such as Jeff Samardzija, Alexei Ramirez, Melky Cabrera and Adam LaRoche, who has slumped all season and likely has little value.

"The job here is to not let it get in the way of what you're doing on the field," Ventura said. "Again, you know it's there and that's part of the business. You've been around long enough to know that's part of the business so you control today."