Manager Gene Lamont hoped his team’s fielding slump was behind it Friday night as the White Sox hosted Kansas City to begin a stretch of 14 of its next 17 games in Comiskey Park.
The White Sox committed 22 errors in their first seven games, six of them losses. In the last game, however, the club played well defensively after an early error by shortstop Ozzie Guillen.
“I hope the last game showed how well we can play on defense,” said Lamont. He would not use the strike-shortened spring training as an alibi for the rash of errors.
“It would seem to me that fielding would be less effected by a short spring training than hitting or pitching,” said Lamont.
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Milestones: Guillen has cracked the White Sox’s all-time Top 10 in career numbers in two categories. Going into Friday night’s series opener against Kansas City, Ozzie needed one hit to reach 1,259 and tie Carlton Fisk for ninth place in a White Sox career. Guillen needs two more games after Friday to reach 1,335 and tie Shano Collins for 10th place in games played with the club.
“I don’t like being on those lists,” said Guillen. “I don’t like going into single digits, into ninth place. I’m only 31, but that means my career is getting shorter.”
Special awards: Sox third baseman Robin Ventura presented awards Friday at closing ceremonies of the Chicago Special Olympics track-and-field meet. More than 2,000 people took part in the meet at Stagg Field at the University of Chicago.
Down on the farm: With one exception, Sox farm teams have stumbled out of the gate just as the parent team has. The Prince William Cannons of the Class A Carolina League have a 15-13 record, the only one of six Sox farm teams with a plus-.500 record. On Thursday, the Cannons lost 8-5 to the Winston-Salem Warthogs; Triple-A Nashville (7-18) lost its third straight, 5-1 to Omaha, as Dave Righetti (0-1) took the loss. Double-A Birmingham (13-16) managed only three hits in its third-straight setback, 6-4 to Huntsville; Class-A South Bend (8-12) lost 8-6 to Burlington, despite Melvin Rosario’s fourth homer; Jesus Mendoza had a double and triple and Rashad Albert stole three bases as the Class-A Hickory Crawdads (12-16) beat Savannah 3-2; and the extended spring training team (6-15) made only three hits in a 7-0 loss to the Rangers.