Some Sox have been a surprise
Even though team loses for ninth time in last 11 games, players such as Avisail and Leury Garcia have excelled
ANAHEIM, Calif. — While it’s no surprise that the White Sox are failing to play .500 baseball, a look at who their top performers are is something of a shocker.
Just think of where they’d be without the surprising performances of players like Avisail Garcia, Leury Garcia, Anthony Swarzak and Tommy Kahnle.
“Their manager [ Rick Renteria] is doing a great job getting players to trust them and getting the most out of them,’’ an American League scout said. “That’s what good managers do. He has got the most out of Avisail Garcia, that is for sure. And Leury Garcia is a much better player than I ever thought.’’
While the front office continues to map out a rebuild with the goal of long- term sustained success, Renteria is managing in the now, trying to develop a culture of winning baseball.
He hasn’t been successful lately, however. The Sox lost to the Angels 12- 8 Wednesday night to complete the three- game sweep. They also lost for the sixth consecutive time on the road and for the ninth time in the last 11 games.
Swarzak finally got scored on for the first time all season. He entered a tie game in the sixth inning and gave up an RBI single to ninth- place batter Martin Maldanado. The run was charged to starter Miguel Gonzalez ( 3- 4). Swarzak then allowed a check- swing infield hit to the redhot Cameron Maybin before Mike Trout unloaded his 13th home run.
Trout’s blast, his fifth in the last six games and second of the series, came with two runners on and put the Sox in an 8- 4 hole. The Angels piled it on against reliever Michael Ynoa, reaching double digits in runs by the seventh inning.
Gonzalez walked four batters immediately after his team handed him a 4- 0 lead with two runs in the first inning and two more in the second. Four runs by the Angels in the second, however, erased a nice cushion.
Gonzalez then righted himself, facing one batter over the minimum through the next three innings.
The Sox scored two quick runs in the first against Matt Shoemaker. Jose Abreu followed Melky Cabrera’s two- out double with his seventh home run. All of Abreu’s homers have come on the road, and all of them in the last 17 games.
The Sox got an RBI single from Yolmer Sanchez to make it 4- 0 in the second, but that’s where the good times stopped rolling for the visitors.
It was shaping up as a tough start of a 10- game road trip for Renteria’s Sox, who on Tuesday rallied from a three- run deficit to tie the Angels in the ninth inning and took the lead in the 11th on Anderson’s third home run only to lose 7- 6.
Gonzalez’ disappointing outing — he allowed five runs, five walks and six hits in 5⅔ innings — raised Sox starters’ ERA to 6.36 over the last 11 games.
Renteria, as is his style, stood be- hind his guys.
“We just have to continue to improve and execute, go through innings in which we minimize pitches thrown, attack the strike zone,’’ he said. “I’m not going to question my rotation. We’ve got a decent enough rotation that once everything falls into place we’ll be as effective as anybody.’’
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