Davidson's late homer helps White Sox avoid winless homestand
After watching Matt Davidson tie a major-league record with 3 home runs on Opening Day, Chicago White Sox manager Rick Renteria set his sights ridiculously high.
"I wish that Matty would be able to hit over 400 homers," Renteria jokingly mentioned before Wednesday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. "But we know that wouldn't be possible."
Realistically, Renteria is more concerned about Davidson sticking to his new approach at the plate.
A strikeout machine with the Sox last season and in the minor leagues before that, Davidson has been much more patient this year and it's showed.
After drawing only 19 walks in 443 plate appearances in 2017, Davidson has 9 walks in his first 44 trips to the plate this season.
"One of the things we don't want him to do is to chase," Renteria said. "As long as he continues to be patient, we know if he gets a pitch that he can manage, if he puts a good swing on it, he's going to be able to do some damage."
Davidson's pitch finally came in the eighth inning Wednesday.
After going 0-for-3 with 2 strikeouts earlier in the game, the White Sox's designated hitter stayed back on a hanging changeup from Rays reliever Austin Pruitt.
Davidson put a charge into the ball and his 2-run homer was the difference in the Sox's 2-1 win over Tampa Bay at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The White Sox were off to an 0-5 start at home for the first time since 1975 and dangerously close to going 0-6 for the first time since 1948.
"Came up in some big spots and didn't produce," Davidson said. "I think that's kind of been the theme of the homestand. We got in positions to capitalize and we just didn't do it, so I think we've all been pretty frustrated.
"To come up like that and win the game, it's huge. It was kind of a frustrating homestand, but it kind of gets rid of it."
Sox starter James Shields walked the bases loaded in the first inning and seemed destined for an early exit.
The 36-year-old righty got out of the jam, settled down and actually pitched well, allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 5 walks in 6⅓ innings.
"You've got to make an adjustment," Shields said. "I was missing arm side for the first two innings and you've got to make an adjustment. I moved a little on the rubber to try to get over the plate, ended up going to my curveball and slider a lot more and just had a little more accuracy with that and ended up grinding it out."
Roster move:
The White Sox optioned relief pitcher Gregory Infante to Class AAA Charlotte after Wednesday's game.
Infante was 0-1 with a 16.62 ERA in 6 appearances.
The Sox are likely to call up reliever Jeanmar Gomez from Charlotte before Thursday night's game at Minnesota.
Castillo out:
After exiting Tuesday's game in the sixth inning with a sore right knee, Sox catcher Welington Castillo was not in the lineup Wednesday.
Castillo was scheduled to have an MRI as a precaution, but he should be ready to play Thursday when the White Sox open a four-game series at Minnesota.
"He's doing fine," manager Rick Renteria said. "I just figured after we took him out yesterday we'd give him a day today to take it easy."
Castillo tweaked the knee throwing down to second base before the start of the sixth inning. Renteria said his spikes got caught in the dirt behind home plate.