Moncada (oblique) still not right
There is still no timetable for when third baseman Yoan Moncada will return to the White Sox’ lineup.
Manager Tony La Russa said Moncada, who is on the injured list with a strained right oblique, still is feeling some discomfort when he makes certain moves in the field. He hasn’t played in a regular-season game.
‘‘He’s going to have to be able to go full-bore with the swings, workouts and running before you can realistically say, ‘Hey, how about X days from now?’ ’’ La Russa said. ‘‘As long as he’s got discomfort, not even thinking about it.’’
Without Moncada at third, the Sox have started Jake Burger five times at the position. Josh Harrison got his third start there Saturday.
Burger had a home run and an RBI single Friday but wasn’t in the lineup Saturday. With Harrison at third, Leury Garcia got the nod at second and went 0-for-3 to lower his average to .043 (1-for-23).
Bullpen adventures
A day after Kendall Graveman and Aaron Bummer threw a combined 2⅓ innings, La Russa turned to Jose Ruiz in the seventh inning and Bennett Sousa in the eighth to get the game to closer Liam Hendriks.
Ruiz and Sousa delivered. Each threw a scoreless inning, and they combined for five strikeouts to hold a one-run lead.
‘‘We’re deep at the end, but we’re deep in the middle, as well,’’ Hendriks said. ‘‘That’s something the league is going to learn. We’ve got some guys out there. It doesn’t matter who we’re going to throw in a one-run game, we’re going to be able to get it done. And that’s what we did today.’’
Hendriks, pitching on his bobblehead day, made things interesting.
He got the first out of the ninth on a rare 1-5 putout, on which he snagged a grounder by Yandy Diaz and threw to Harrison at third, where pinch runner Kevin Kiermaier was tagged out. Hendriks eventually loaded the bases with two outs but struck out Taylor Walls with a 2-2 slider to end the game, trusting catcher Reese McGuire to block the ball, if necessary.
‘‘I don’t pitch scared,’’ Hendriks said. ‘‘I know, especially with a guy like Reese or [Yasmani Grandal] back there, you trust everything they’re going to be able to do. In that situation, I’m not going to limit myself to throwing a certain type of pitch just because of the fact that I might have a wild pitch or anything like that.’’
Busy times for Pollock
Outfielder AJ Pollock (strained right hamstring) and his wife, Kate, welcomed their second child. As for his baseball prognosis, La Russa said Pollock is up to 80% or 85% and should head to Triple-A Charlotte on a rehab assignment soon.
The Sox put Pollock on the 10-day IL on Tuesday, retroactive to last Sunday.
Bear down
Bears general manager Ryan Poles threw out a ceremonial first pitch before the game.