CHICAGO _ Even at his most controversial, White Sox manager Rick Renteria couldn't get Ozzie Guillen to raise an eyebrow.
Earlier this season Renteria was asked whether he prefers baseball with or without replay reviews.
"No comment," he replied.
So it was surprising to hear Renteria go off on the umpiring after Monday night's game. Renteria was ticked after watching second baseman Yoan Moncada go 0-for-4 with one swinging strikeout and two more punchouts.
"He has as good an eye as anyone in baseball," Renteria said. "Sometimes he gets some pitches called on him that should not be called _ flat out, straight up. It's a tough job that those (umpires) have to do, but this poor kid, honestly, I think he gets the short end of the stick a lot of times. Undeservedly."
Moncada downplayed the issue before Tuesday night's game and then made some noise with his bat.
After taking two outside pitches for balls and fouling one away off the Indians' Adam Plutko, Moncada hammered a fastball to center. The 429-foot blast cleared the wall for his ninth home run _ and fourth to lead off a game.
Yolmer Sanchez then went yard, and Matt Davidson drove home Daniel Palka for a three-run inning that launched the Sox to a 5-1 victory.
James Shields won for the first time since Opening Day, ending an 0-7 stretch with six no-decisions. Shields pitched brilliantly over seven innings, allowing one run on four hits and no walks.
The Sox survived an interesting ninth after Nate Jones allowed a double and issued a one-out walk. The game ended on a drive by catcher Yan Gomes that was nearly a three-run homer. Instead it fell into Adam Engel's glove in front of the wall in left-center.
The home run must have felt magical for Moncada, who has made little impact since returning May 15 from a left hamstring injury.
Before the injury, he was batting .263 with a .359 on-base average and .509 slugging percentage. His 24-for-119 stretch dropped those to .232/.305/.411.
"I think everybody knows that my offense right now is not as good as it can be," Moncada said via interpreter Billy Russo. "It's a work in progress and I'm just trying to do my best."
As for the umpiring, Moncada said: "I think I will have to make some adjustments because I'm getting too many calls that, for me, are not strikes."
As in swing more?
"Just be more aware of the strike zone," he said.
