Chicago White Sox make the grade in 10-1 win over Royals
You can say the Chicago White Sox played a Grade A game Sunday afternoon, beating the Kansas City Royals 10-1 at Guaranteed Rate Field.
But as the Sox head into the all-star break with the third-worst record (33-62) in the major leagues, manager Rick Renteria was accurate when he gave the team an overall D grade for the first half of the season.
"There are things we continue to need to improve upon," Renteria said. "That goes without saying. I'd say effort level is probably a B-plus or an A. That would be fair to say. I also believe it would be fair to say we will continue to try to improve on all the aspects of the game we need to improve on, fundamentally speaking."
Give the White Sox an A for their all-around performance in Sunday's victory.
"Today was one of those days where we put it all together," starting pitcher Lucas Giolito said. "I'm looking forward to more of those."
After surviving another rocky first inning that was aided by Kansas City's Jorge Bonifacio being thrown out at home plate, Giolito (6-8) settled down and scattered 2 hits and 3 walks over 6⅓ scoreless innings.
"The first inning was a little rough; they were fouling a ton of balls off," Giolito said. "I couldn't seem to get a swing and miss there. But we got through the inning and from there it just kind of settled in and I started to command my fastball a lot better and we kind of cruised through there the last few innings."
Giolito got plenty of offensive backing, headed by Yoan Moncada, Daniel Palka and Leury Garcia with 3 hits each. Moncada and Palka also hit home runs.
In the fifth inning, the switch-hitting Moncada notched his 12th homer of the season and first from the right side of the plate.
"I think it gives me a little more confidence," he said through a translator.
Renteria said the White Sox played with confidence in the first half of the season, but the results warrant the low grade.
"It wasn't a very good first half in wins and losses, but I think that's part of the process," Moncada said. "We're all trying to do our best. We improved during the first half, and I think in the second half we'll be much better."
Minor matters:
After missing 10 games with a strained left adductor muscle, top prospect Eloy Jimenez was back in Class AAA Charlotte's lineup Sunday.
Another outfielder, second-round draft pick Steele Walker, made his professional debut with the Arizona League White Sox on Saturday night. An Oklahoma product, Walker had been dealing with a lingering oblique injury that he suffered before the Big 12 tournament in late May.
Jones update:
On the disabled list since mid-June with a pronator muscle strain in his right arm, relief pitcher Nate Jones will continue throwing at Class AAA Charlotte during the all-star break.
"We are getting as close as we can to simulating an inning," Jones said. "We will reassess from there. I would assume the next step would be a rehab assignment."