WHITE SOX HEADLINES OF JUNE 6, 2017 Avisail evolving on mental side of the game Scott Merkin, MLB.com White Sox Minors report: Robert to DSL club Fabian Ardaya, MLB.com Giolito fans 11 for Charlotte Mike Rosenbaum, MLB.com The app that s redefining the way White Sox players work out Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago White Sox rookie Adam Engel receiving big-league education Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune White Sox prospect Micker Adolfo credits new approach for improvement Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune White Sox's rebuilding status looks good compared to Cubs of 2012 Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune Sloppy play getting worst of White Sox Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun-Times Why Chicago White Sox starter Quintana is struggling Scot Gregor, Daily Herald Avisail evolving on mental side of the game White Sox right fielder developing better understanding of his at-bats By Scott Merkin / MLB.com @scottmerkin June 5th, 2017 CHICAGO -- In describing Avisail Garcia's renaissance in 2017, begin with words such as recognition and accountability. Recognition, as in Garcia quickly realizes when he expands the strike zone and chases nearly unhittable pitches. Accountability, as in the White Sox right fielder becomes the first one to point out the issue. "Same person, different thought process," White Sox hitting coach Todd Steverson said. "Saying, 'I know what I did and I don't need a 45-minute session in the cage to fix myself.'" Cast your Esurance All-Star ballot for Garcia and other #ASGWorthy players "Been missing a couple pitches in the middle of the strike zone and fouled off a couple pitches," Garcia said. "You've got to be ready." Garcia's average sat at.357 after a four-hit, six-rbi performance against the Mariners on May 20, From May 21-29, Garcia dipped into a 4-for-27 funk, with one extra-base hit and nine strikeouts. But a significant change for Garcia, 25, has been not letting slumps get too deep. That stretch was followed by an 8-for-22 run, punctuated by three singles in a 7-4 loss to the Tigers on Sunday. Having a better understanding of what went wrong allows Garcia a better opportunity to build on the positive. "Hitters always have -- I wouldn't use the word 'fear' -- a problem with getting out," Steverson said. "You get out a lot, but it's like everybody wants to do well. "So when it doesn't happen consistently, it's how you deal with it. He's dealing with his outs better, understanding how that kind of correlates. 'I'm out, but did I hit it well? I'm out, but am I out because I swung at a bad pitch?' You are able to put those in a better place in your brain than to just say, 'I was out.' "It's a question of, why were you out?" Steverson said. "Did you get out because you hit it right at somebody? In that case, what can you do? Or did you let them have an at-bat? What function did you not execute during those one or two minutes you were there?" The 2013 three-team trade with Detroit and Boston brought Garcia to the White Sox as the center of their most recent rebuild prior to 2017. He was labeled a five-tool talent -- tools which hadn't been on display consistently until this season. Even through his struggles, the organization stood behind Garcia. And as general manager Rick Hahn pointed out recently, executive vice president Ken Williams emerged as a strong Garcia supporter. Garcia is a player who needs to be involved in all aspects of the game, so Williams believed he would excel with a return to right field from designated hitter. That support has been rewarded as Garcia develops greater knowledge of his game. "One thing I tried to remind people around here is that his acceleration to the big leagues was really quick," Williams told MLB.com. "But if you look at the physical talent on the guy, there's not too many guys that have his total package.
"Sometimes you have to allow that to take a step back in your expectation and take a step forward in your patience. So yeah, I fought for him, and I'll continue to fight for him, because I believe in him." White Sox Minors report: Robert to DSL club By Fabian Ardaya / MLB.com June 5th, 2017 The White Sox have dropped five in a row and moved to a season-low seven games below.500 at 24-31 for the season. But a young bullpen that perhaps overachieved early in the season is still performing quite well, the noted progressions of potential cornerstones such as Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia have continued, and a stacked farm system provides a glimpse at what is to come for the South Siders. The big league club caught a glimpse of that future when the club brought up right-handed reliever Brad Goldberg to make his Major League debut. Goldberg is not currently ranked in the organization's Top 30 prospects according to MLBPipeline.com, but he has shown the ability to pitch well at Triple-A Charlotte (1.99 ERA in 17 appearances) and do so on a big stage such as he did with Israel in the World Baseball Classic. Goldberg made his debut Saturday, giving up three runs in one-third of an inning. So who else has stood out from the crop in the organization? Luis Robert, DSL Robert, the club's recent splash in the international signing pool, reported to the club's DSL team in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic, and put on a White Sox uniform for the first time. This will be some of his first competitive baseball action in over a year for the outfielder, who is already No. 3 on the club's Top 30, according to MLBPipeline.com. Carson Fulmer, Charlotte Fulmer, who is currently the club's sixth-ranked prospect and the fourth-rated right-hander in the system, bounced back after a string of rough outings by holding Buffalo to a run on two hits in five innings of work. It snapped a streak of three consecutive outings in which he had given up four or more earned runs. Control and command continue to elude him, however, has he has walked multiple batters in four consecutive outings. Zack Collins, Class A Advanced Winston-Salem Collins, who was Chicago's first-round selection in last year's Draft, has been progressing well and showing his ability at the plate. He's riding a hot streak as of late, hitting safely in seven consecutive games and nine of his last 10 overall while posting an on-base percentage of.395 over that stretch. Collins is currently the No. 7 prospect and No. 3 position player in the White Sox system according to MLBPipeline.com. Worth noting Yoan Moncada, the No. 1 prospect in baseball, has continued to slump for Charlotte since his return from a thumb injury last month. In his 10 games since his return on May 26, he has gone 5-for-36 (.139) with 13 strikeouts and just a pair of extra-base hits. In that span, he's seen his season batting average drop from.324 to.291. Giolito fans 11 for Charlotte By Mike Rosenbaum / MLB.com June 5, 2017 After fanning 10 batters in 16 innings across his three previous starts, No. 30 overall prospect Lucas Giolito (White Sox No. 4) recorded a season-high 11 strikeouts while tossing six innings of one-run ball in a no-decision for Triple-A Charlotte. The 22-year-old righty scattered five hits and walked two en route to throwing 101 pitches, 72 for strikes. He lowered his ERA to 4.95 with the performance, and he's now punched out 53 in 52 innings overall. The app that s redefining the way White Sox players work out By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago June 5, 2017 Similar to many other aspects of sports, technology has invaded and improved the White Sox strength and conditioning program.
The White Sox have streamlined their program with the aide of the CoachMePlus application, which allows players to participate in offseason workouts wherever they are. While the in-season benefits are extremely helpful in creating an electronic, real-time log of a player s activities, the most significant benefit comes in October. As long as they have an internet connection, players can log in from anywhere to learn what strength and conditioning coach Allen Thomas has designed. The app not only offers a detailed workout plan, it provides video examples of each exercise and a chance to comment and the ability to update the activities completed as they occur. It doesn t matter where you re from -- if you have internet in the Dominican, it works there just as well, Thomas said. All they ve got to do is pull their ipad up and it s right there for them. A virtual coach, really. Just follow the offseason condition program and they ll be fine. I ve never in 20 years had a problem with any player that has followed the program. Thomas said the White Sox began to use CoachMePlus, which bills itself as the leader in Strength and Conditioning and Applied Sports Science provides the most complete tool for safely preparing your athletes for competition five seasons ago. According to its web site, the company has been in operation since 2007 and it s many applications are used by other professional teams as well as universities. One of its most practical uses for the White Sox -- aside from the hydration program they also employ -- is in the creation of an offseason program tailored to each athlete. One of a strength and conditioning coordinator s biggest fears is that his player shows up to spring training over weight and out of shape. But with a program individually tailored to each athlete in any language and real-time updates, Thomas knows if players have kept up. He said it has taken several years for players to get accustomed to the idea. But once they re on board, it s easy. Jose Abreu had Thomas help him design a home gym customized to the way the first baseman likes to workout. If Abreu isn t sure about how to perform an exercise, he can hit the play button on the right side of the screen and a video example pops up. It s a very useful and helpful app because that gives you the regiment you have to do in the offseason and that helps you to be in the best shape possible when you go to spring training, Abreu said through an interpreter. The applications have plenty of value for the White Sox during the season, too. Paper records for each player s physical regimen are no more. Weigh-ins, which occur every time a player walks into the clubhouse, are sent straight to the database as Thomas has the scale linked via blue tooth to the application. It saves quite a bit of time especially on bi-weekly and monthly reports, Thomas said. If I wanted to go look at Abreu s weight, I can see every one since spring training and it s charted, a pie chart and a line graph. The record-keeping also allows for cohesion between minor league affiliates and the major leagues when a player moves between different levels. When he was promoted in April to fill in for Melky Cabrera on his three-day paternity leave, Willy Garcia s charts went with him electronically. Thomas then knew the rookie needed to perform a wall series when he joined the team in Minneapolis. Double-A Birmingham strength coach Tim Rodmaker said the app makes life in the minors, where lengthy travel is the norm, much easier. The schedules are hectic, said Rodmaker, in his 12th season with the organization and third with the Barons. The travel, the game times, sometimes it s hard enough just to get a hold of each other beyond text message or a voice mail. So it s more of a real time, we can log in, especially when we have players changing affiliates, we can check previous workouts and get a sense where he s going. The White Sox have learned what they like and don t with the app over the past five years. Similar to how workouts are tailored to individual players, Thomas said the club has worked with the app s developers to fine tune it to the needs of the White Sox. Given the improved communication and record-keeping, Thomas couldn t see the White Sox running the department any other way.
It s getting to where it s just like anything --- it takes a little bit of tweaking here and there to getting it to what you want, Thomas said. We ve worked with the developers and they ve helped us tailor it to what we want. CoachMePlus has been great. White Sox rookie Adam Engel receiving big-league education Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune June 5, 2017 Adam Engel said this weekend he had no idea how long his first major-league turn with the White Sox would last, so he was trying to absorb all he could from the experience, including savoring the Sox's charter flight while on his first road trip. Engel, a center fielder whom the Sox drafted in the 19th round in 2013, was called up for his MLB debut on May 27 to take the roster spot of Tyler Saladino, who is on the 10-day disabled list with back spasms. Saladino is eligible to return this week, but manager Rick Renteria didn't provide an update on his progress Sunday. "I'm just trying to make the most out of every day," Engel said. "I don't know what the game plan is, but (I want to) be ready when my name is called. Hopefully it's longer rather than shorter." Engel said the biggest adjustment to being with the Sox has been not starting every day while playing behind Leury Garcia. Engel is 2-for-11 with a walk and six strikeouts over six games, including three starts. He recorded his second big-league hit Sunday in a loss to the Tigers, a second-inning single off Justin Verlander. But he also struck out three times, including after botching a safety-squeeze attempt with runners on the corners during a key eighth-inning rally, a mistake Renteria said could "serve you better the next time around." "I would say there were definitely some nerves there," Engel said of his first few games with the Sox. "You have to remember once you're on the field, it's the same game, maybe a little harder here and there, depending on what facet of the game it is. But that's what you play for." Engel hit just.169 with three extra-base hits in April in Charlotte, but he made an adjustment with his hands that helped him hit.262 with nine doubles and seven homers in May. "Before I had my hands a little lower, and I was trying to bring them up, so I decided to have them high and bring them down," Engel said. "That helped me out a lot, freed me up at the plate. My hands were getting stuck behind me, which is tough to get the barrel to the baseball." He hopes the adjustment continues to help him no matter where he is playing. Quick decision: Tigers manager Brad Ausmus was ejected for arguing Saturday after his request for a replay on a close play at first base was denied because he exceeded the new 30-second time limit. Renteria said he has felt umpires rushing the Sox this year while making such decisions in an effort to speed up the game, but he wasn't in a good spot to judge whether the limit on Ausmus was too quick. "It's a balancing act because you have your guys reviewing video to see if you can chime in if you want to review it or not," Renteria said. "Like anything that's new, you're trying to do the best you can. I'm sure there will be differences of opinion at a certain point. You hope it's not against you." White Sox prospect Micker Adolfo credits new approach for improvement Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune June 5, 2017 White Sox outfield prospect Micker Adolfo credits the development of a routine for helping him blossom this year at Class- A Kannapolis. Adolfo was named the Sox minor-league player of the month last week after he hit.333 with 11 doubles, one triple, two home runs, 17 RBIs and 14 runs over 24 games in May. "I have more of a routine and am more mature," Adolfo said on a conference call. "That has helped me figure things out a little more, and also the great coaching staff of the Chicago White Sox organization."
Adolfo, 20, signed with the Sox as an international amateur in 2013. He said he is trying to stay more to the middle and right field in his approach at the plate this year. Though Sunday, he was hitting.281 with 15 doubles, three homers, 22 RBIs, five walks and 51 strikeouts in 43 games. "That approach really helps me because it really helps me stay on the ball a lot longer," Adolfo said. "I don't have to key on fastballs and everything like that. So that approach really helps me from being too quick and thinking I have to pull everything. I'm really trying to trust my hands a lot more." The White Sox's top 10 prospects Who are the White Sox's top 10 prospects that director of player development Chris Getz and his staff will be helping this season? Yoan Moncada, 2B, Triple-A Charlotte The top Sox prospect has been slow to return to form in 10 games since coming back from a left thumb bruise, batting.139 with three RBIs, seven walks and 13 strikeouts. He was 2-for-5 with an RBI on Friday. Reynaldo Lopez, RHP, Triple-A Charlotte Lopez rebounded from his worst start of the year when he gave up eight earned runs to hold Syracuse to one earned run on five hits with one walk and six strikeouts over six innings Wednesday. Carson Fulmer, RHP, Triple-A Charlotte Command remains an issue as Fulmer has walked 15 in his last four games. His ERA has jumped from 2.72 to 4.63 in that span, though he held Buffalo to one earned run over five innings Friday. Zack Collins, C, Class-A Winston-Salem Collins hit his eighth homer of the year Saturday. In his last 10 games through Sunday he batted.278 with three doubles, a triple, two homers, six RBIs, seven walks and 15 strikeouts. Jameson Fisher, OF, Class-A Kannapolis Fisher was among the finalists for Sox player of the month in May and is hitting.292 with 13 doubles, five triples, two homers, 28 RBIs, 20 walks and 48 strikeouts in 46 games. White Sox's rebuilding status looks good compared to Cubs of 2012 Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune June 5, 2017 Like snowflakes and Kardashians, no two rebuilds are exactly alike. But when trying to assess where the White Sox are in Year One of their plan, all one has to do is look across town to gauge their progress. And based on the building blocks already in place, the 2017 Sox appear to a bit more advanced than the 2012 Cubs were at this point in their own rebuild. That doesn't mean the Sox will follow the exact same path to a championship, but it's a good start. Looking back on June 6, 2012, Travis Wood was the only player in the Cubs clubhouse to survive long enough to play for the 2016 champs. Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez and Willson Contreras were the only ones playing for the Cubs in the minors. It's easy to project at least eight current Sox players and minor-leaguers who may still be around in 2021, which would be Year Five of their plan: Tim Anderson, Carlos Rodon, Jose Abreu, Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert, Michael Kopech, Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez. Sox general manager Rick Hahn still has a long way to go and many more moves to make, but at least the foundation is starting to fill in.
Remember how bleak it looked like for the Cubs five years ago this week, when President Theo Epstein had yet to implement his first sign-and-flip-for-prospects maneuver, a recurring theme of the early years? The Cubs were 19-37 after an 8-0 loss to the Brewers at Miller Park, and signs of progress were difficult to see. Epstein's first draft pick, Albert Almora, was telling the media his "main priority right now is college," using his University of Miami scholarship in negotiations for a hefty bonus for being the No. 6 pick on June 4. Manager Dale Sveum was threatening to bench 22-year-old shortstop Starlin Castro for forgetting how many outs there were in a game, calling it "the last straw," while Epstein was insisting Castro was still "a huge part of our plans." Top prospect Anthony Rizzo, acquired for Andrew Cashner over the winter, was still at Triple-A Iowa waiting for his call, and wouldn't be in a Cubs uniform until the end of the month. Cuban slugger Jorge Soler had yet to officially be signed, and Rudy Jaramillo was still the hitting coach, at least for a another week, when he was fired. Kerry Wood abruptly retired in May, and James Russell was auditioning for the closer role. Still, Epstein saw progress. "We're about a half year into it, and we've instilled a significant amount of philosophical change in scouting and player development, some personnel change," he said that month. "We've done a pretty good job maximizing our opportunities to acquire young talent, whether in the draft or in trades or international signings. We'd like to do more of that. We've stayed fairly disciplined when it comes to executing our plan. But there's a lot more work to do. "It takes time. I wish we could press a button and have five drafts in one day, have five trade deadlines in one day but it can't be done that way. We have to stay disciplined and stay on point." The Cubs were ready to start shopping starters Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza and Paul Maholm, knowing Alfonso Soriano's contract made it unlikely he could be dumped. Jeff Samardzija was in his first season in the rotation, and the Cubs were eventually hoping to sign him to a club-friendly deal to become part of the core. Their lineup for that June 6 game against Zack Greinke included Tony Campana, a popular outfielder who could run but not hit; first baseman Bryan La Hair, an unlikely All-Star selection who soon would lose his job to Rizzo; and Ian Stewart, an injury-prone third baseman who would tweet his way out of the organization. Maholm, the first sign-and-flip player, was the day's starter, while 29-year-old Randy Wells, who would be out of the majors for good by the end of the month, came on in relief. It was an awful team that would go on to lose 101 games, for which they received the No. 2 pick in the 2013 draft. That pick, Kris Bryant, would help fast-forward the rebuild by the time he arrived in 2015. The 2017 White Sox haven't gone the "full-metal tanking" route, but are 24-31 entering Tuesday's game in Tampa Bay, a half game ahead of the Athletics for worst record in the American League. Hahn, of course, had better trading chips than Epstein did.chris Sale and Adam Eaton brought in a half-dozen quality prospects before Year One even began. Jose Quintana figures to bring in a decent haul despite a mediocre start, and the Robert signing may be looked upon one day as the equivalent of the Cubs' drafting Bryant. "I've seen him compared to current All-Star big leaguers, Adam Jones and Lorenzo Cain have been mentioned in various publications, as well as some of the perennial MVP candidates," Hahn said. "I personally prefer to stay away from individual player comps. We do feel he has the potential to become a perennial impact player in the middle of our diamond and lineup for years to come, and that's an important piece to be able to add to the organization." Whether Robert, Moncada or any of the other Sox prospects can develop as quickly as Bryant & Co. remains to be seen. Progress, as Epstein often said in 2012, isn't always linear. Sloppy play getting worst of White Sox Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun Times June 5, 2017 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. The White Sox need to clean it up.
They ve lost five in a row, including a weekend sweep in Detroit in which they were outscored 32-10 in sloppy fashion. Manager Rick Renteria s mantra since Day 1 of spring training, coinciding with the organization s current rebuild, is to win or lose play clean baseball. That means hustle, throw to the right base, hit the cutoff man, execute. In other words, take care of things in their control, regardless of talent level. Establish a work environment and emphasis that should enhance the caliber of performance when young talents such as Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert, Michael Kopech arrive in the coming months, year or years. It played well in April, when the Sox surprised some by going 13-10. But three games over.500 turned into 11-18 in May and an 0-3 start in June. Center fielder Leury Garcia threw to the wrong base a couple times in the last week; the Tigers stole third base at will all weekend; a pop-up fell between Sanchez, first baseman Jose Abreu and right fielder Avisail Garcia; and on Sunday, Sanchez got picked off first and misplayed a pair of ground balls. Also, a check-the-runner throw to first by pitcher Chris Beck with Justin Upton only a couple of strides off the base escaped Abreu s backhand. It wasn t a good throw, but it was catchable. I thought we were just a little tired, little lethargic, Renteria said after Sunday s game. They were playing through it. Some of our actions were a little slow today. Nonetheless, that s not an excuse. They re not trying to make mistakes, they re not trying to boot balls, they re not trying to get picked off, they re not trying to miss executing on bunts. But it s something that we have to really learn from because clubs that want to have success have to play clean baseball. We ve talked about it. Renteria has demonstrated an affection for the sacrifice and safety squeeze, and his repeated attempts to pull it off haven t been executed well. On Sunday, rookie Adam Engel took a stab at it and failed twice. You have to get that pitch up where it s a more hittable pitch, Renteria said. He wasn t able to, or it just sped a little bit. It s not a must-bunt. It s get a good pitch to handle to lay it down. But those experiences will serve him better moving forward. When Sunday was over, the Sox were sitting at 24-31, including an 11-21 record since the 13-10 start. Only four teams, including one from the American League, the Oakland Athletics, had worse records. You ve got to keep working, keep your head up and work hard every day, said right fielder Avisail Garcia, the Sox top All-Star candidate with a.330/.370/.532 hitting line, eight homers and 38 RBI. We have another game tomorrow. We definitely don t quit, shortstop Tim Anderson said. That s the mindset in the clubhouse keep grinding and Renteria went out of his way Sunday to applaud the team for its effort. Meanwhile, there are those who view trying hard and losing as a good thing in rebuilds, citing higher draft position. But Renteria is pushing to win with what he has. He continues to emphasize playing the game right above all else, which means keeping mistakes to a minimum. They stand out when you re not winning ballgames, Renteria said. For me, we want to play clean baseball. Make sure we address those things as often and quickly as we can. NOTES: Carlos Rodon (bursitis, upper biceps) is scheduled to make his first minor-league rehab start Tuesday for Class A Winston-Salem. The Sox were off Monday. When their road trip ends after three games at Tampa Bay and three at Cleveland, they will have played 38 on the road and 23 at home. Why Chicago White Sox starter Quintana is struggling Scot Gregor / Daily Herald June 5, 2017 Last Wednesday at Guaranteed Rate Field, director of amateur scouting Nick Hostetler during batting practice talked about the upcoming draft, and that appeared to be the big news of the day. But Chicago White Sox media-relations representatives asked reporters to sit tight another 15-20 minutes for an additional announcement, and that sparked all kinds of instant speculation.
No way, Jose A statistical look at White Sox starter Jose Quintana over the last five seasons: 2013: 9-7, 3.51 ERA, 200 IP, 188 H, 23 HR, 1.22 WHIP 2014: 9-11, 3.32 ERA, 200 ⅓ IP, 197 H, 10 HR, 1.24 WHIP 2015: 9-10, 3.36 ERA, 206 ⅓ IP, 218 H, 16 HR, 1.27 WHIP 2016: 13-12, 3.20 ERA, 208 IP, 192 H, 22 HR, 1.16 WHIP 2017: 2-7, 5.60 ERA, 64 ⅓ IP, 66 H, 10 HR, 1.40 WHIP The most popular guess during the waiting period? Starting pitcher Jose Quintana was going on the disabled list. Facing the Boston Red Sox and ex-rotation mate Chris Sale the night before, Quintana was scorched for 7 runs on 10 hits (3 home runs) in 2⅔ innings, his shortest outing since Sept. 2, 2013, when he had to leave his start against the Yankees after 1 inning with an injury. With a 2-7 record and 5.60 ERA through 11 starts this season, something had to be physically wrong with Quintana, right? Apparently not. Last week's news centered on veteran broadcaster Ken "Hawk" Harrelson, who is going to continue doing road games this season and announced he would do 20 home games next year and then retire. That still begs the question: What's wrong with Quintana, one of the most consistent starting pitchers in the majors from 2013-16? White Sox manager Rick Renteria offered the obvious theory. "He's not hitting his spots," Renteria said. "His stuff is coming back over the middle, and obviously when you have really good hitters, big-league hitters, they're going to take advantage of that. Everybody's still working on finding out what it is that's leading him to leave pitches out over the plate a little bit more than anybody's accustomed to. "His velocity is the same. When we look at some of the video and some of the outcomes, he's definitely missing some spots and they're taking advantage of it. We're simply looking at how we can clean it up." Kevan Smith, who caught Quintana in the loss to Boston, said the 28-year-old lefty will be fine once he gets his confidence back. "Just up in the zone," Smith said. "I told him when he's successful, he lives in that zone, knee to shins. We're just a foot or two, or six inches above that. And then you see when he really starts thinking about it, then we start losing control and missing almost too far down. "It's just one of those things where we've got to get the confidence back. It's just like hitting. He has the stuff obviously, we've all seen it. He's going to go out each day, work hard and get back to the Q we all know." Quintana blamed his struggles on a few "bad sequences," and he has been studying videos in advance of Tuesday night's start at Tampa Bay. For the past year, Quintana has been the subject of countless trade rumors. Has that talk pulled him off his game? "I'd venture to say that there's not going to be anybody in that clubhouse that makes an excuse for anything that's going on for them between the lines," Renteria said. "I do believe that when I talk to those guys they're not too consumed about it. They know it exists. "In talking to those guys about it on a daily basis, though, it's not something that's a topic of conversation with them."
Scouting report White Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field TV: WGN Tuesday; Comcast SportsNet Wednesday and Thursday Radio: WLS 890-AM Pitching matchups: The Sox's Jose Quintana (2-7) vs. Chris Archer (4-3) Tuesday; Mike Pelfrey (2-4) vs. Jake Odorizzi (3-3) Wednesday; Derek Holland (4-5) vs. Alex Cobb (4-5) Thursday. All games start at 6:10 p.m. At a glance: The White Sox dropped three straight at Detroit over the weekend, extending their losing streak to five games. The Sox were 4-3 vs. the Rays last season (1-2 at Tropicana Field). Quintana is 1-3 with a 3.27 ERA in 6 career starts vs. Tampa Bay. The Rays lost three straight at Seattle over the weekend and were outscored by the Mariners 28-7. Heading into Monday's play, Tampa Bay designated hitter Corey Dickerson was third in the American League with a.336 batting average and White Sox right fielder Avisail Garcia was tied for fourth at.330. Next: Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field, Friday-Sunday