POWERS OF PERSUASION
Lopez talks, pitches strong game as Sox shut out Rangers
White Sox right- hander Reynaldo Lopez was going to finish the eighth inning Sunday. All he had to do was persuade manager Rick Renteria.
After Lopez walked the Rangers’ Delino DeShields Jr. with two outs, Renteria walked slowly to the mound. Instead of going to Jace Fry or Bruce Rondon, both of whom were warming up, Renteria left Lopez in to face Shin- Soo Choo.
‘‘ I hid the baseball in my glove because I didn’t want to leave the game,’’ Lopez said through a translator. ‘‘[ Renteria] asked me: ‘ How are you? Are you good?’ And I told him: ‘ Yes, I’m good.’ Then he asked me again: ‘ Do you think that you are able to get him out?’ And I said: ‘ Yes, this is my game, and I’m going to finish it.’ ’’
Lopez then struck out Choo with a 96 mph fastball on a full count to end the inning.
‘‘ You need to have conviction when you talk to me if I’m going to leave you in there,’’ Renteria said. ‘‘ You guys have seen the reaction of other human beings. You know when they’re ready to finish something.’’
No, Lopez ( 1- 3) didn’t finish the game, but he threw eight scoreless innings to lead the Sox to a 3- 0 victory. He allowed two hits, struck out eight and walked two in the longest outing of his career. The Sox won a home series for the first time this season and won back- toback games for the first time since winning three in a row April 26- 28.
‘‘ It’s great,’’ said Fry, who earned his first major- league save with a 1- 2- 3 ninth. ‘‘ The energy has picked up. We love winning.’’
Beyond the Sox finally having a little bit of success, a piece of their future took another step forward. Lopez’s previous start, a 7- 0 loss to the Pirates, was his worst of the season. In that game, he allowed six runs and seven hits in two innings and looked every bit like a 24- yearold pitcher trying to find his way.
Against the Rangers, he displayed an ability to bounce back. He earned his first victory of the season, retired 11 in a row at one point and lowered his ERA to 2.98.
‘‘ I do think he came out a little bit more focused, to be honest,’’ Renteria said. ‘‘ The intensity level was a little higher today.’’
That intensity level showed in the eighth. After striking out Choo, Lopez screamed and pounded his chest.
‘‘ It meant a lot,’’ Renteria said. ‘‘ You know why? Because when you see your manager come out . . . and you reiterate that you want to finish a particular batter because you want to get out of that inning and you do it, it’s an accomplishment. It’s a big accomplishment.’’ That accomplishment was the exclamation point on the best start of Lopez’s career.
‘‘ I was focused and kept the focus the whole game,’’ Lopez said. ‘‘ I was executing my pitches, and I had confidence in all my pitches. I didn’t have any doubt when I was on the mound. I was feeling great. I didn’t hesitate on any of the pitches I threw.’’