Sox starter Shields, Rowand cut from the same cloth
It's easy to tell James Shields and Aaron Rowand are related.
The two are cousins - their mothers are sisters - and they're a lot alike.
Rowand, a popular, gritty player for the Chicago White Sox from 2001-05, is four years older than Shields at age 38.
And Rowand was a center fielder, while Shields is a starter for the Sox after being acquired in a June 4 trade from the San Diego Padres.
Position players and pitchers rarely have much in common, but Rowand and Shields are cut from the same cloth.
"He's got kind of a position player mentality on the mound," Rowand said of Shields. "He knows what process it takes to be successful and he grinds that process out every day, no matter what happens on the field."
When he was playing for the White Sox, and later the Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants, Rowand never freaked out when he went into a slump and he never made excuses. He was always grinding.
Shields is exactly the same.
In his first three starts for the Sox, the right-hander lasted just 8⅔ innings and gave up 21 earned runs on 24 hits (5 homers) and 9 walks.
Many major leaguers would never recover from such a gruesome stretch, but Shields held himself together.
"We always talk, and he just kind of got into a funk when he got here," said Rowand, who is in his first season as the White Sox's minor-league outfield and baserunning instructor. "In talking to him, I'm sure during his first couple of starts here he was pressing and trying to impress a new team, new guys. But he's settled down and now he's back to doing what he's typically done his entire career."
Over his last three starts with the Sox, Shields has pitched 17⅔ innings and allowed 6 earned runs on 18 hits and 7 walks. He makes his final start of the first half Sunday against the Atlanta Braves.
When he was going bad, Shields knew Rowand would be in his corner.
"He's always been there for me," Shields said. "He helped raise me in the baseball world. He taught me a lot about the game and how to go about it professionally. He's a tremendous impact on me."
Now that Shields is back on his game, he's hoping to make a big impact on the White Sox's playoff push.
"Wanting to impress, wanting to do a lot, wanting to be good," pitching coach Don Cooper said of Shields when he first joined the Sox. "I think there was some anxiety built up and anxiousness to do that. And I think then he became a guy who was doing too much, working too fast and everything was racing and strikes were compromised.
"James got down to, 'Bleep it.' For him now to start fighting his way out of that shows a lot to me about who he is. That guy was still in there. And I knew we were going to get him out, but I wasn't sure how quick it would happen."
White Sox vs. Atlanta Braves at U.S. Cellular Field
TV: Comcast SportsNet Plus Friday; WGN Saturday; Comcast SportsNet Sunday
Radio: WLS 890-AM
Pitching matchups: The White Sox's Chris Sale (14-2) vs. Matt Wisler (3-8) Friday at 7:10 p.m.; Jose Quintana (6-8) vs. Joel De La Cruz (0-2) Saturday at 1:10 p.m.; James Shields (4-9) vs. Mike Foltynewicz (2-3) Sunday at 1:10 p.m.
At a glance: The Sox won 2 of 3 against the Yankees to open their homestand, and they've won five straight series for the first time since 2013. Sale will try to become the first American League starter to win 15 games before the all-star break since the Blue Jays' David Wells in 2000. The Braves are last in the NL East and they have the worst record in baseball. Former White Sox catchers A.J. Pierzynski and Tyler Flowers are splitting time behind the plate for Atlanta. The Braves activated former Sox infielder Gordon Beckham from the disabled list Thursday. Beckham missed 33 games with a hamstring injury. White Sox second baseman Brett Lawrie is batting .382 (13-for-34) with 3 doubles, 1 home run and 5 RBI during a nine-game hitting streak.
Next: All-star break
- Scot Gregor