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White Sox (9-27) off to worst start in franchise history

The Chicago White Sox are historically bad.

They weren't expected to be good this year - the first full season with a rebuilt roster - but it's definitely taking a sharp turn for the worse.

"As much as I would want to say that we don't feel the angst of losses, we do," Sox manager Rick Renteria said.

They continue to pile up at a rapid rate, and Saturday's 8-4 interleague loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field leaves the White Sox at 9-27.

That is the worst record to open the season in the franchise's 118-year history, topping 1948's 10-26 sprint from the gate.

"We're not playing the type of baseball we want to play," center fielder Adam Engel said. "Our expectation is higher than how we're playing."

Last season, his first in the dugout, Renteria was widely praised for managing the White Sox to a 67-95 record.

Given the shift from old to young on the 25-man roster, Renteria wasn't expected to win. He was expected to teach and build a positive environment.

The expectations are much the same this year.

There has been little, if any, heat on the 55-year-old manager, but that changed following Friday's lopsided 11-2 loss to the rival Cubs.

"Why didn't Renteria let starter Carson Fulmer go more than 1⅔ innings?"

"Why didn't Renteria challenge Matt Davidson being picked off second base in the third inning?"

"Rebuilding or not, why are the Sox playing such sloppy baseball under Renteria?"

To his credit, the White Sox's manager not only understands the criticism, he accepts it.

"It's going to take a lot before one of you guys knock me down," Renteria said in his Saturday morning meeting with the media at Wrigley. "And that's OK. Listen, you guys are reporting on facts and things that are occurring right now, which is good. It's fair. The reality is that we as a team have to continue to try to chip away and improve."

Is it fair to think the Sox can be much better with the current roster? Renteria believes the answer is yes.

"My expectation is that (we are)," Renteria said when asked if the White Sox are better than the abysmal record indicates. "If there is anything you can say about the men in there right now, it is they know that we haven't done as well as we would have wanted. That's a fact. There is no denying that. My job is to make sure they remain focused.

"As much as people want them to be negative and angry, I need them to stay positive and focused on the things they need to do to correct the things they're doing individually and collectively. And we have to move forward. This is a long season and there is a lot to be gained and learned from this season. And winning sure does help."

According to Renteria, getting mad would be bad for the Sox.

"Anger, if it's used correctly to push you in a particular direction, is useful," he said. "Anger in and of itself is a consequence of frustration, which then means you've lost sight of focus and the things you need to do to correct the direction you're going."

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