Lopez, Sox beat Twins after long rain delay
After getting lit up - and then blowing up - in his last start, Chicago White Sox right-hander Reynaldo Lopez probably couldn't wait to get back on the mound.
Lopez's turn finally came Tuesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field, but he had to wait out a 1-hour, 48-minute rain delay before facing the Twins and the White Sox won 8-4.
Lopez pitched 6 innings and allowed 4 runs on 6 hits to go with 4 strikeouts.
Yolmer Sanchez sparked the White Sox's offense, going 2-for-5 and tying his career high with 4 RBI.
Lopez gave up solo home runs to Brian Dozier in the second inning and Ehire Adrianza in the third.
The White Sox tied it in the bottom of the third on Yoan Moncada's RBI triple and Sanchez's run-scoring groundout.
Still in his first full season in the major leagues, Lopez hasn't been shy about speaking out.
In spring training, the 24-year-old pitcher said "200 innings, 200 strikeouts" were his goals for the current season.
There's nothing wrong with a little confidence, and Lopez entered his start against the Twins on pace for 185⅔ innings pitched and 131 strikeouts.
After getting roughed up by the Indians last week in his previous start, a 12-0 loss at Cleveland, Lopez took his vocal game to another level.
"It's unacceptable for us to look the way we looked today," he said through a translator. "Nobody is happy about the way we looked today. Honestly, we looked like clowns (out) there, starting with me.
"But I know we can do better. It's a matter of keep grinding, improving and working hard."
The "clown" comment was not the best choice of words, but Lopez did point the first finger at himself and then finished on an upbeat note.
That's why the reaction from White Sox veterans was much more tame.
"I respected (Lopez's) opinion and his point of view," Jose Abreu said through a translator. "I think that everyone of us has his own point of view on different things. It's not a secret for anybody that we were playing really bad when we were playing against Cleveland last week.
"I don't think any one of us was happy with our performance during that series. He expressed himself, and I respect that. I think for us we have to keep working hard, keep grinding and come here with a positive attitude."
Abreu is still leading American League first basemen in voting for the All-Star Game, but he entered Tuesday's play with a .215/.237/.366 hitting line in June.
"Just keep doing my routine," he said. "Right now, it's just a matter of swinging at more pitches in the strike zone. That's something I'm not doing consistently right now or throughout this month and that's probably the reason my offense is not as good as it was last month. Fixing that is going to make everything OK."