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Angels, White Sox looking for offensive consistency
One month into the season, the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels have experienced extreme positives at the plate to go with frustrating negatives.
As the teams begin a three-game set in Chicago on Monday, the aim remains to build consistency — with victories hopefully to follow.
After outscoring the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres 19-4 on April 16 and 17 to move a game above .500, the Angels managed just 17 runs in their next seven games before Sunday. Seven of those came in one contest.
While Los Angeles collected 16 hits on Sunday — including three each from Zach Neto and Josh Lowe — the pitching staff couldn’t deliver. The Angels squandered a 6-0 lead in an eventual 11-9, 10-inning loss to the host Kansas City Royals, who earned a three-game series sweep.
First pitch was moved up about three hours to avoid inclement weather in the forecast. The teams endured a rain delay of one hour, 29 minutes in the seventh inning.
“It is what it is,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. “It’s better than coming back on your off day. As a player, it’s tough. You’ve got your routine and all that stuff, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to audible sometimes and you’ve gotta make things work.”
Chicago has scuffled on the heels of a recent power surge that saw first baseman Munetaka Murakami belt five home runs during a 4-2 road trip against the Athletics and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Murakami went deep again during Friday’s series opening 5-4 victory against Washington and is tied with Houston’s Yordan Alvarez for the major league lead with 11 homers. Still, Murakami was just 1-for-12 with six strikeouts in the series with the Nationals, as the White Sox lost two of three.
Chicago collected only four hits during Sunday’s 2-1, 10-inning loss, as Tristan Peters drove in the lone run with a single in extra innings.
The White Sox hope it’s merely a bump in the road as they try to stop a stretch of three straight home series losses.
“I’ve said a few times (it’s a) multi-faceted offense when this thing’s firing off at all cylinders,” Chicago hitting coach Derek Shomon said. “We have guys that can slug, we have guys that can move the baseball forward, we have guys that … can and will lay down a bunt.
“That’s cool. It’s not just a one-trick pony. Even though some nights it feels like it is, right?”
White Sox manager Will Venable had no update Sunday on the status of left fielder Tanner Murray, who left the game in the 10th inning with a left shoulder injury.
“We’ll evaluate him and hope for the best,” Venable said.
The Angels on Sunday placed catcher Logan O’Hoppe on the injured list with a fractured left wrist.
Left-hander Anthony Kay (1-1, 5.57 ERA), who has never faced the Angels, is set to get the call for the White Sox. Kay has worked in bulk relief twice in his five outings and he scuffled through his shortest start of the season in Wednesday’s loss at Arizona. He allowed eight runs and eight hits in 3 2/3 innings with three walks and a strikeout.
Righty Jack Kochanowicz (2-0, 3.10) will get the call for the Angels. After allowing six runs (five earned) in four innings in his season debut on March 29, Kochanowicz has pitched to a 1.80 ERA in four April starts covering 25 innings. He has made four starts against the White Sox in his career with no decisions and a 2.77 ERA.
–Field Level Media
