Patience pays off in White Sox win
Win or lose, good or bad, this is how it's going to be with your 2012 White Sox unless - or until - general manager Kenny Williams determines it's time to go in a different direction.
Manager Robin Ventura is under no pressure whatsoever to bench struggling players, chastise them in the media or call for wholesale changes.
Even if Ventura was feeling some heat, he still would be more likely to play the patience card. It's in his nature.
Alexei Ramirez (.199), Dayan Viciedo (.196) and Brent Morel (.182) were Ventura's 7-8-9 hitters Monday night, and Gordon Beckham (.208) still was in the No. 2 spot.
"There are some times you give them a kick," Ventura said before the Sox played the Tigers at U.S. Cellular Field. "But again, I realize how tough it is. It's not always that easy, especially getting critiqued every day over and over about it. They have to realize they can't get it all back in one day.
"It's a consistent thing of day in and day out of coming in here and having the proper attitude of coming in and working at it and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel."
While there is typically maniacal panic following every loss, Ventura keeps his sights set on the big picture and hopes for the best.
For the most part, his patience was rewarded during the Sox' 7-5 victory over Detroit.
Another poor start from John Danks put the White Sox in an early 3-0 hole, and it looked like another forgettable home effort was in the offing.
But Adam Dunn sliced the Tigers' lead to 3-2 with his 12th home run in the bottom of the first inning and Zach Stewart picked up Danks and his teammates, entering the game in the fourth and pitching 3 innings of scoreless relief.
"I'm pretty much prepared down there the whole time, getting ready from the beginning just in case," Stewart said. "You never know when they're going to call your name."
Viciedo was supposed to provide some thunder in the middle of the White Sox' order this season, but his low batting average and unimpressive power numbers (3 home runs, 5 RBI) forced Ventura to drop him to the No. 8 spot.
Viciedo finally came alive against Detroit.
His 2-run homer in the fifth inning cut the Tigers' lead to 5-4. In the sixth, his 2-run single with the bases loaded put the Sox in front 6-5.
"I've never lost my confidence," Viciedo said through a translator after establishing a career high with 4 RBI. "I'm a very confident guy, and it's something that I know it's just about working hard every day. Just come in here, rely on the fundamentals and go from there. The confidence hasn't gone. It's just me kind of doing what I need to do."
Ventura said he still has confidence in Danks, even after the left-hander allowed 5 runs on 9 hits and 3 walks in 3-plus innings.
"We won, that's No. 1," Danks said. "Everything (stunk). When I got it over the plate it was a bad pitch. When I was able to make a good pitch it found a hole. Other times the ball was hit well, and obviously that's not what we want.
"It was just a tough game all around. I've got a lot of work to do. I don't know. I feel like a broken record now. Just got to continue to work."
sgregor@dailyherald.com