Nomar Mazara went 2-for-3 with an RBI for the White Sox in Saturday’s 12-7 loss to the Giants in a Cactus League game at Scottsdale Stadium.
Mazara doubled in the fourth inning and drove in Nick Madrigal with a single in the sixth. Luis Robert and James McCann both went 1-for-3. McCann drove in two runs with a triple in the sixth.
Hee are three takeaways from Sox spring training Saturday:
1. Dallas Keuchel still feels ahead of schedule.
Dallas Keuchel thought the early stages of his start against the Giants were solid. But then, the veteran left-hander said, he “kind of lost focus a little bit.”
Keuchel allowed four runs on eight hits in 3? innings striking out three and walking one in his second outing of the spring.
“That’s really one of the challenges I’m going to face having spring training off last year and just kind of going about my own slower pace,” Keuchel said. “I’m kind of in between right now of cruise control, just let the body work and jamming the accelerator down. I’m trying to find the correct balance again.
“It was good to get work in. You never want to see runs across the board, but if you can pick and choose a time, it’s definitely spring training. I’d rather get the runs out right now than during the regular season.”
The three strikeouts came in the first two innings. The Giants scored twice in the third and added two runs in the fourth.
“They did a really good job early in the count, especially the lefties,” Keuchel said. “I was more willing to just be around the zone than be specific, which I usually am during the regular season. So far, in two starts, lefties have hit me a lot better than the righties. As we come to a close of spring training, I’ll start to tighten that up to the lefties.”
Keuchel said he still feels ahead of schedule at this point in the spring.
“I felt like I could have gone a couple of more innings, which is a really good sign,” Keuchel said. “Then again, I’m not trying to jam down the accelerator, so I have to unintentionally back off a little bit and make sure that when we leave spring training I’m not 110%, I’m still hovering at like 85 because there was a lack of spring training last year.”
Keuchel was still a free agent at this time last spring. He signed with the Braves in June.
“I’m not trying to get tired in late August and September like a lot of the young guys do when they’re coming into camp and going full bore and trying to make a team,” Keuchel said. “I have to remember that it’s a process, whether you like most of it or you don’t. I’m still ahead of schedule and I like the way the breaking-ball shape was (Saturday) and I was able to command that a little bit better than the first start.”
2. Andrew Vaughn and Codi Heuer are among the players making an impression.
First baseman Andrew Vaughn, the No. 2 prospect in the organization according to MLB.com, went 1-for-3, driving in a run with a single to right field in the sixth inning.
Vaughn is hitting .350 with five RBIs.
“Andrew Vaughn certainly looks like he’s been a pro longer than eight months or however long he’s actually been,” Sox general manager Rick Hahn said Friday.
Vaughn isn’t the only young player who has made an impression.
“A lot of the young relievers, whether it’s Codi Heuer or Tyler Johnson, have come in and impressed early on in camp,” Hahn said. “(And) it’s good to see Zack Burdi back healthy.”
Heuer struck out two in a scoreless inning Saturday. He has pitched five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts this spring.
Johnson has a 7.71 ERA — four earned runs in 4? innings — but also has recorded seven strikeouts.
3. Nick Madrigal is ‘holding his own.’
Nick Madrigal, the No. 4 prospect in the organization according to MLB.com, singled and later scored a run in the sixth inning. The second baseman went 1-for-3 and is hitting .208.
Friday, Hahn assessed Madrigal’s spring.
“It’s been similar to what we expected,” Hahn said. “There were a handful of things we sent him home to work on offensivelym and over the course of various at-bats, you can see him trying to execute on that plan.
“Defensively, we’ve seen him make some spectacular plays and we’ve seen it quicken on him a handful of times. Like we’ve talked about with other players, the speed of a big-league game is tough to replicate in the minors. He’s done a nice job holding his own over the course of this camp.”