No clowning around - White Sox serious about playing better baseball
The circus was back in town Friday.
Actually, it was the Chicago White Sox back at Guaranteed Rate Field, two days after starter Reynaldo Lopez's frustration reached a boiling point.
After pitching poorly in a 12-0 loss at Cleveland Wednesday, Lopez let it rip.
"It's unacceptable for us to look the way we looked today," Lopez said. "Nobody is happy about it. Honestly, we looked like clowns (out) there, starting with me."
Those were pretty strong words from a player that is in his first full major-league season, but the Sox don't have a problem with Lopez's brutally honest assessment.
"Good for him," manager Rick Renteria said. "I think he was just speaking what everybody was probably sensing. I think nobody was hiding it. I think the players knew it. I think we addressed it a little bit.
"I think it speaks volumes for him. You can't be scared to voice what you believe is, in your opinion, something that you're viewing, especially about yourself. Then you can direct it, if you need to, to the rest of the club. And I think he did a nice job. I thought he did it very respectfully, to be honest."
James Shields is a 36-year-old veteran, and he lashed out after losing a June 2 start against the Brewers.
"Frankly, I don't really care about the rebuild right now," Shields said. "I care about winning. They keep talking about rebuild and I'm trying to win ballgames right now, period."
Shields wasn't crazy about the clown reference, but he gets Lopez's point of view.
"You never really want to describe it that way, but I definitely understand Lopey's frustrations," Shields said. "At the end of the day, we're a team and we've got to stick together and we've got to play the game the right way. We've got to pick our game up.
"We've got to stay as positive as we possibly can and try to address the things that we need to fix."
En route to losing their eighth straight in Game 1 of Friday's doubleheader against Oakland, Yoan Moncada made 2 more errors that opened the door for 6 unearned runs. His 11 errors are the most among major-league second basemen.
"I think what you have to focus on and understand is that this is a very demanding level to be participating at," Renteria said. "That's the reality of it. A lot is expected of all of us. It's one of those things where you have to deal with the reality of that.
"(Moncada) is learning it. This is the process he's learning right now. He's probably dealing with a lot of different emotions. I'm sure he is because we've spoken many times. He has to continue to try to separate those things and do the best he can."
Like Moncada, White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson has had his struggles with the bat and the glove.
"It's not easy going out and getting your butt kicked," Anderson said. "But what keeps me going is the future is bright. We are going to be a part of something very special. Every team has to wait their turn. I feel our turn is coming."