March 23--White Sox right-hander Mat Latos knew that he might experience hiccups when making his first Cactus League start more than a month into spring training.
He was pleased with his results in the first four innings of his outing against the Giants at Camelback Ranch, but he said he lost his cool during the Giants' five-run fifth inning.
Latos gave up two-run homers to Brandon Belt and Miguel Olivo and said he got away from his game plan when he became frustrated by "a couple of cheap hits."
"I didn't expect it to be a complete explosion -- that was embarrassing," Latos said. "A dumb move by me ... just getting out of what I wanted to accomplish, and that's not the game plan. We don't want to get aggravated when we're out there. ... I kind of let it get me, and that was a dumb, selfish mistake, and we'll progress (from) there."
Over 41/3 innings, Latos gave up seven earned runs on 11 hits with four strikeouts.
Part of Latos' challenge was harnessing the energy that came with his first real spring game. He has been doing his work in side sessions, simulated games and B games.
"I didn't expect the first pitch to be a strike with all the adrenaline I had when I first took the mound," Latos said. "It's completely different. Back there you face minor-league guys. ... It's not really a bad thing, you just look at it like 'OK, I'm here to get my work in.' When you're (in the stadium) you're here to compete with guys who have proven themselves and know what they're doing."
Sox manager Robin Ventura said he was encouraged by how "crisp" Latos looked through the first four innings and said he thought fatigue might have been a factor late. With less than two weeks to go before the season opener, he said he believes Latos has enough time to prepare for his regular-season debut.
"He just has to get stronger and get deeper in the game," Ventura said.
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