Moncada cleans up in Chicago White Sox's 9-1 romp over Marlins

Before Monday night's interleague game against the Marlins, Yoan Moncada batted leadoff for the Chicago White Sox this season.

Moncada also hit second in the lineup, he hit fifth, sixth and seventh.

"He's a guy that can hit anywhere from the first to the fifth (spot) in the lineup, to be honest," manager Rick Renteria said. "He's got speed, he's got power, he can get on base. There are a lot of things he can do. So maybe if we are able to get some other guys ahead of him on base, maybe he can drive in some runs and continue to push us forward."

In the Sox's 9-1 win over Miami on Monday night at Guaranteed Rate Field, Moncada batted fourth for the first time. Needless to say, the experiment went well.

In the first inning, Moncada came through with an RBI single out of the cleanup spot. He followed with a 3-run homer in the fifth inning to break the game open.

"He had a nice game," Renteria said. "He can hit anywhere. He's got that talent."

Jose Abreu is entrenched as the White Sox's No. 3 hitter. He's had to deal with the likes of Adam Dunn, Adam LaRoche and Matt Davidson, among others, batting cleanup and offering little or no protection.

How did Abreu like hitting in front of Moncada on Monday night?

"If someone is happy we finally found a cleanup hitter, it's me," Abreu said through a translator. "Nothing he does surprises me, and he can still do more. He's a great baseball player."

Moncada's home run was his 18th on the season, a career high. He also has 56 RBI, only 5 shy of his career best.

Ivan Nova entered Monday with a 1-4 record and 7.14 ERA in 8 home starts this season, but the 32-year-old righty looked like an ace while pitching a complete game.

Nova (5-9) came close to being pulled with one out in the ninth inning, but he got Neil Walker to line into a game-ending double play.

"I told him it's my game," Nova said of his discussion when Renteria came to the mound in the ninth. "It was a great day for everybody. We scored a lot of runs and it was nice to have a complete game. I always try to do my best out there. Today, it came out."

Injury update:

Shortstop Tim Anderson and left fielder Eloy Jimenez are on the injury list, and the White Sox have missed their potent bats.

Both players should be back in the Sox's lineup in late July or early August.

Anderson has been out since June 26 with a high right ankle sprain. He has been gradually ramping back up, and Anderson took a big step Monday.

"I ran the bases today," he said. "It was the first time I actually felt real comfortable running them. I feel good. I feel like I'm in a good spot."

Anderson said he should be back in a week or two, but he will need to play some minor-league games on a rehab assignment before rejoining the White Sox.

Jimenez has been on the IL since Wednesday with a right ulnar nerve contusion.

"I didn't feel my fingers," Jimenez said. "I was trying to feel my hand, but it didn't work that night. I think that's why I went out of the game. I said, 'Oh my God, I might be out for the season.' But after I took the MRI, they told me you are going to be back soon."

Jimenez has not swung a bat or done any throwing since colliding with center fielder Charlie Tilson in an 11-0 loss at Kansas City last week, but he should also be back in a week or two.

"It's a little bit hard, but it's just life," Jimenez said. "It's just baseball."

Net gain:

The White Sox are the first major-league team to extend protective netting down both outfield lines, and the fan-safety measure debuted Monday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.

"It's a great idea," relief pitcher Evan Marshall said. "It's a shame it wasn't done sooner and just almost the standard across baseball. Finally, the players are kind of speaking out because everybody is tired of seeing people get hit. It sucks the air right out of a game when you see it happen. It's hard to kind of move on to the next pitch or do whatever."