Moncada, Chicago White Sox struggle against Marlins' Smith
It was the Yoan Moncada Cleanup Experiment: Day Two at Guaranteed Rate Field on Tuesday.
The exercise did not go as well as Day One for the slugger or his Chicago White Sox in a 5-1 loss to Miami.
White Sox manager Rick Renteria batted Moncada fourth Monday for the first time this season after the slugger had hit safely in 13 of his previous 14 home games. That choice paid dividends.
The switch hitter batted left-handed against Miami right-hander Trevor Richard, went 2-for-4 and tied his season high with 4 RBI. He roped a run-scoring single in the first inning and smashed a 3-run homer in the fifth to propel the White Sox to a 9-1 victory, their third in four outings after a seven-game losing streak.
Did the 24-year-old enjoy batting cleanup after previously batting in five other lineup spots this season?
"I'm just ready to hit in whatever spot that Ricky and the team need me to," Moncada said after Monday's game.
No. 3 hitter Jose Abreu enjoyed the protection provided by Moncada, who has belted 18 home runs, batting behind him.
"He told me," Moncada said. "He was saying in the dugout after the homer that we have a cleanup hitter right now."
Likewise, the opportunity to go to school on Abreu's at-bats isn't lost on Moncada.
"For me, it's an advantage to hit in the cleanup spot having Pito ahead of me," he said. "That way, you can see how the pitchers are attacking him, and you have a better idea in those situations when you need to produce, how the pitchers are doing it. Even though he's a right-handed hitter and I hit from both sides of the plate, it's good. It's something that gives you a better idea of how the pitchers are doing, how their pitches are working."
Monday marked the first time this season Moncada had batted fourth, though he had done so a handful of times in 2018.
Renteria wrote Moncada's name in the four-hole again Tuesday to see how the third baseman would fare batting right-handed against Miami lefty starting pitcher Caleb Smith.
Moncada went 0-for-3 against Smith and 0-for-4 overall, but he was hardly alone in frustration. Miami pitching limited the White Sox to 2 hits.
Smith was perfect for 5⅔ innings until he issued a walk to Adam Engel. He held the Sox to an earned run on 2 hits and struck out 9 in 7 innings.
"Tip your cap to the kid. He threw the ball very well," Renteria said.
Dylan Covey's record dropped to 1-6 after the right-hander yielded 5 earned runs on 6 hits and allowed 2 home runs, including a 2-run shot by Curtis Granderson.
Covey did show some promising signs. He struck out 7 without issuing a walk in 6 innings.
"I don't want to dwell on the line too much because I felt pretty good," Covey said. "If I can feel how I felt today the rest of the year, I think I'll be just fine."