Renteria likes start, not crazy about stop
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Ain’t no stoppin’ the White Sox now, unless you’re the snow, wind and cold temperatures, a combination that postponed their Easter Sunday game against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
OK, so the Sox would be getting ahead of their snow skis to sing such a thing of their 2- 0 start. But manager Rick Renteria liked what he saw in 14- 7 and 4- 3 come- frombehind victories on Thursday and Saturday, even if they were against a team some are picking to finish behind them in the American League Central. The last thing Renteria wanted was to be idle one more day in Kansas City, where the Sox had only two games to showfor a six- night stay.
“Any sports team, especially baseball, I think you just want to play,’’ said Renteria, whose team checked into a Kansas City hotel late Monday after playing its Class AAA affiliate in Charlotte and didn’t check out till Sunday morning. “Any interruption kind of changes the direction you were going in. I knoweveryone on theWest Coast is playing, but it is what it is — you can’t control that.’’
The Sox and Royals will play a day- night doubleheader April 28 with the makeup game scheduled for 1: 15 p. m. The double dip adds up to a five- game series.
Renteria said the Sox will stay in rotation with starting pitchers Reynaldo Lopez ( Sunday’s scheduled starter), Miguel Gonzalez and Carson Fulmer going in their three- game series starting Monday in Toronto. The postponement also means James Shields, not Lucas Giolito, starts the home opener against the Tigers on Thursday at Guaranteed Rate Field. Shields allowed four runs in the first inning Thursday before finishing with five hitless innings.
With 160 games to go, Renteria is satisfied with what he has seen so far. And why not? His is the only undefeated team in the AL.
“We’re pleased, for sure,’’ he said. “These guys came out of spring prepared to play a certain way, and they’re doing it. They’re fighting. It’s still a season of discovery for us in many ways. Regardless of a 2- 0 start, these guys are prepared and have a really good mindset.’’