Owens passes test for White Sox
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Avoiding injuries is one of the obvious goals in spring training, and the White Sox are no different from any other major-league team in that regard.
On Sunday, pockets of heavy rain made Tucson Electric Park rather treacherous, but the game went on. So did Sox center fielder Jerry Owens.
"A little bit," Owens said when asked if he was surprised he played in the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. "They obviously have a schedule they're going by, and I wasn't about to tell them to take me out. I'm trying to get in there and get my at-bats.
"I was a little surprised, but at the same time it was a good test. I'm happy I was in there because I was able to test it to the fullest."
Owens didn't have to wait long before his sore right groin faced a challenging exam.
Arizona's Chris Young led off the bottom of the first inning with a deep drive to left-center. Owens went back on the ball, lost his footing on the warning track and hit the ground as Young pulled into second base with a double.
"I knew the conditions, and this was the ultimate test for it with the wet field," said Owens, who strained his groin in a Feb. 25 intrasquad game and still is trying to make a full recovery. "I went down and didn't feel it. It was kind of an awkward slide, unexpected, but I felt good all day. I didn't feel it once out there. It felt like it was healed."
That's good news for the White Sox, who are counting on Owens to start in center field and bat leadoff.
"He told me after the game his leg feels great," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "Hopefully for now he doesn't have any setbacks and continues to play the way he's going to play."
Owens' groin injury got another test in the second inning. With Young again at the plate, the Sox' 27-year-old outfielder called for a drive hit to right-center. As he approached right fielder Jermaine Dye, Owens pulled up and dropped the ball for a three-base error.
"That was my fault," Owens said. "I called it too early. As an outfielder, I have to know the wind, and the wind was blowing it back to (Dye). He probably had an easier play and I was coasting.
"As an outfielder, they teach us not to coast; they teach us to get to the spot. I was coasting and the ball kept going away from me and I just missed it."
Owens has missed 14 of the White Sox' 20 Cactus League games with the sore groin, but the left-hander raised his batting average to .429 after going 3-for-5 Sunday. He tested the injury again in the fifth inning with a triple off Arizona starter Dan Haren.
"I feel surprisingly very good at the plate," Owens said. "I've been in and out of the lineup, and when you're getting 4 at-bats a day you kind of get into a rhythm.
"Being in and out of the lineup and still feeling the way I feel, it's been good. I'm not really so concerned with the numbers, but I feel really good up there and hopefully it carries over into the season."