After blowing chance to sweep Rangers, White Sox see growth: ‘We’re not happy with two out of three’
For the 17-36 White Sox, series wins are hard to come by.
So why was the clubhouse so irked Sunday after taking two out of three from the Rangers?
“To be honest,” starting pitcher Davis Martin said, “everybody’s pissed.”
The Sox had a chance to complete a sweep, taking a 3-2 lead into the ninth inning. But Jordan Leasure gave up three runs, a blown save aided by Miguel Vargas bobbling a hard-hit grounder at third base and Lenyn Sosa failing to step on first base for an out. In the bottom of the inning, Michael A. Taylor was picked off second base as the potential tying run.
A day after they took advantage of a bunch of Rangers mistakes, the Sox coughed up a game they believed they should have won, losing 5-4.
“We still are learning,” Vargas said. “We have to be better in the last couple of innings to close the game. It’s very important. We didn’t, and now we don’t get the win.
“We won the series, but I think we all know that we were able to sweep them today.”
The rebuilding Sox shouldn’t be expected to play mistake-free ball while so much of the future is still developing at all levels of the organization. But as that development continues on the field, this team is still learning how to win, too, part of that development process for manager Will Venable and his staff.
“Major league games are won and lost at certain points of the game. You can either take it or you can give it away,” Martin said. “There's still growing pains, there's still things we've got to learn how to do.
“We’re not happy with two out of three. We feel like we left that game there to win. I think that’s a sign of growth, and I think that’s a sign of a turning point with this team.
“Obviously, we love the series win, we want to stack as many as we can. But when you have a series sweep available, you’ve got to take advantage.”
No Teel in the outfield
The Sox won’t be moving catching prospect Kyle Teel from behind the plate any time soon.
Ranked as the No. 28 prospect in baseball, Teel is on fire offensively at Triple-A Charlotte, entering Sunday with a .290/.389/.484 slash line in 42 games.
But the Sox are suddenly overflowing with catchers. Edgar Quero made a heralded arrival from the minor leagues earlier this season, Matt Thaiss has been one of the team’s better hitters, and Korey Lee is on a minor league rehab assignment.
Teel played some outfield in college. Would the Sox get him some time out there in an effort to alleviate a potential logjam?
“We haven’t had many conversations about that,” general manager Chris Getz said Friday. “We want to continue to develop him as a catcher, and down the road, if we want to take advantage of his athleticism and versatility, we’re certainly not scared to apply that.”
What’s bothering Hagen Smith?
Sox lefty pitching prospect Hagen Smith hasn’t pitched since May 10, and it could still be a bit before he’s back on the mound for Double-A Birmingham.
Getz said Friday that Smith was dealing with elbow soreness, though the Sox aren’t worried after an MRI showed “nothing of concern.” The soreness is gone now, according to Getz, but Smith still hadn’t played catch as of Friday, something Getz said would start soon.
The Sox plan to work with Smith, last summer’s first-round draft choice ranked as the No. 30 prospect in baseball, on his mechanics in an effort to benefit his long-term health.