Aug. 07--The last time the White Sox visited Kansas City they were full of expectations, built up only by how the team looked on paper and in spring training, and they suffered a big letdown when they were swept the first three games of the season.
Four months later, expectations for the Sox have been revised in an up-and-down season, but the Royals still hold power to further the disappointment.
The Sox enter this weekend's three-game series 51-55. That's 11 1/2 games behind the Royals in the American League Central and 4 1/2 games out of the second AL wild-card spot, with six teams in front of them. The race is still a jumble, but with each loss, the Sox are slipping further away from playing meaningful baseball.
"Hopefully we can get on the good side of things and roll a little bit here," Sox center fielder Adam Eaton said. "I think the fan base would appreciate that."
Bumps in the road: After the Sox opted not to make any moves at the July 31 trade deadline, one of the biggest challenges to going on an August-September winning streak is the team is relying on several young players.
Among those is rookie left-hander Carlos Rodon, whose ERA hit 5.00 for the first time since April after allowed 19 earned runs over his last four starts.
"He has electric stuff, so he's going to develop into something special," Sox closer David Robertson said Wednesday. "These games like (his poor outing Wednesday) are going to build him up and get him ready for those years to come. We're hoping that every time he takes the ball he can give us that electric stuff like he did tonight. He has room to improve, but he has time to do it."
On one hand, Rodon is gaining valuable experience. On the other, his occasional blips could hurt the Sox at a critical time.
"It's the development, but we are here to win games too," Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "There are days it's going to be like this."
Some pop: Carlos Sanchez was another rookie who has taken his lumps, especially offensively. But he has started to come around, hitting .325 with six doubles and three home runs in the second half. He didn't homer before the All-Star break.
"He has some pop, but you just don't want him relying on it," Ventura said. "We know he has it in there, but first he had to go through the stretch of surviving. Now he's starting to get a little confidence going with it, and he's swinging the bat pretty good. He has been playing great."
ckane@tribpub.com
