June 01--White Sox manager Robin Ventura has been the target of criticism for his in-game management during a seven-game losing streak that cost the Sox first place in the American League Central.
But general manager Rick Hahn said Tuesday that he will not publicly second guess Ventura's in-game decision making or point fingers for who might be at fault for the tough stretch, which includes losses in 15 of 19 games heading into Tuesday's game against the Mets at Citi Field.
"The game-management realm is 100 percent the manager's purview, and I'm not going to stand here and second guess any decisions he's making," Hahn said. "Obviously we all have the benefit of hindsight right now in evaluating a decision. Our conversations in private are about the conversations that lead up to the decision or the thought process that leads up to the decision.
"It's important to make sure that process is sound and that he and our coaches all have the right information when they're making a strategic in-game decision, and I'm very pleased with where they are from an information standpoint and from a process standpoint. But it's not my place, certainly publicly, to second guess in-game managerial decisions."
Ventura's bullpen management was questioned after the Sox blew three straight games in Kansas City over the weekend. He also made a controversial decision to have No. 3 hitter Melky Cabrera bunt with runners on first and second with no outs in a scoreless game Monday. Cabrera's sacrifice bunt moved the runners over, but Todd Frazier and J.B. Shuck couldn't drive in the run and the Sox lost 1-0.
Hahn made sure to point out that the Sox are fielding the same set of coaches and most of the same players as the team that was 23-10 on May 9, and he added that he heard people talking about a contract extension for Ventura at that point. He said he believes that shows how quickly a team's situation can change and also the upside of the Sox roster.
"It's more important to rally together as a group and focus on putting yourselves in the best position to win the next game ahead of you, which is all you can control at this point," Hahn said. "That's really from a public standpoint all that I think needs to be said. We are in a position right now where all we can control is winning tonight, and we are doing everything in our power to put ourselves in the best position to do that."
When a team has spiraled as quickly as the Sox have, Hahn said it's necessary to avoid making emotional decisions that won't be beneficial in the long term. Hahn made it clear earlier this month that he was looking to upgrade the Sox roster to help them stay in the division race, and they have been linked to Padres pitcher James Shields in reports.
"There is a strong temptation when you're not in between the white lines or in the dugout to try to do something to have a greater impact between 7 and 10 each night," Hahn said. "...But when things aren't going well, that becomes perhaps a little bit greater, and that's when you have to guard yourself against doing something strictly emotional or reactionary that's going to cause perhaps more long-term damage than any short-term benefit from doing something. That applies to a trade or any sort of change to any process you've got going on and anyone in uniform."
