April 20--After the White Sox scored five runs and hit .165 over their previous four games, several players took early batting practice before Tuesday's game against the Angels.
"We need it," Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "You like it. ... If you feel like you need it to get yourself mentally ready for that day, you do it."
The Sox opened a seven-game homestand with an ugly 7-0 loss Monday to the Angels, in which Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon gave up five earned runs while recording only one out.
The Sox have eight hits and 22 strikeouts over their last two games.
"I have confidence in these guys," Ventura said. "We have quite a few guys that have been notorious for this (slow starts), but you don't want to see it as a collective group. In their mind, they're not going down that road of feeling sorry for themselves and thinking it's going to last forever."
Sox right-hander Mat Latos takes the mound Tuesday with a 2-0 record and a 0.75 ERA. He faces Angels right-hander Matt Shoemaker, who is 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA.
Here's the Sox lineup:
Adam Eaton, RF
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Jose Abreu, 1B
Todd Frazier, 3B
Melky Cabrera, LF
Brett Lawrie, 2B
Austin Jackson, CF
Avisail Garcia, DH
Dioner Navarro, C
