Sox rally but can't get all the way back against Twins
Early in his first season as White Sox manager, Rick Renteria already has shown he's going to take any negative and turn it into a positive.
In Thursday night's game against the Minnesota Twins at Guaranteed Rate Field, the Sox fell behind 4-0 in the first inning.
After first baseman Jose Abreu dropped a routine throw from second baseman Tyler Saladino that should have ended the inning on a double play, the Twins took advantage of the error with 4 unearned runs, 3 of them coming on Eduardo Escobar's home run off White Sox starter Derek Holland.
"It was not the best moment to have, but it was not deflating," Renteria said. "We kept fighting. Not a good start to say the least, but we continued to battle, to chip away."
Before the game, Renteria was equally as positive about an offense that totaled just 9 runs during a four-game losing streak.
"I think it's just a part of the game," Renteria said. "You know you're going to get through it and you know that it's just a matter of one or two people clicking and before you know it everything kind of starts moving and opening up and you continue to play the game of baseball."
The Sox's bats did come alive Thursday, but the end result was a 7-6 loss to Minnesota.
Down 7-2 in the fifth inning, Melky Cabrera got the White Sox back in the game with a 3-run homer off Minnesota starter Phil Hughes. Matt Davidson added a solo home run in the sixth.
Holland pitched 5 innings and allowed 7 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits, 3 of which were home runs. The veteran lefty blamed himself, and not Abreu, for the rough first inning.
"Those guys are going to make the plays," Holland said. "I still have to make pitches after that no matter what happens. I know what the situation was, but overall I feel like it's my fault more than anything. I didn't execute the pitches after that, and that's what put us in that bigger hole."
More early work:
The White Sox were on the field 30 minutes earlier than usual before Thursday's game against the Twins, tackling defensive drills like they did on the last homestand.
"For the infielders, just to be able to take as many groundballs as they can without worrying about balls coming off the bat during (batting practice), they might end up getting 25-30 straight groundballs in a session like that, just comfortably working on fielding," manager Rick Renteria said.
How long will the Sox do early defensive drills?
"Usually if you work in development, there's a lot of push and a lot of work done prior to the All-Star Game," Renteria said. "And then after the All-Star Game you start making your adjustments.
"It's no different at the big-league level, I don't think. We'll see how they're doing, if they start to feel a little more fatigued. But we'll do it as along as the coaches and the players feel they're gaining something from it."