The White Sox’ home opener against the Mariners will have to wait until Friday.
With a weather forecast of rain and a high temperature of 44 Thursday, the team announced the postponement of the game late Wednesday morning. Instead, the first game of the season at Guaranteed Rate Field will be at 1:10 p.m. Chicago time Friday, when the forecast calls for sun and temperatures in the low 50s.
All Opening Day tickets from the previous day are good for that game.
The scheduled starting pitchers will remain the same. Right-hander Reynaldo Lopez (0-1, 9.00) will pitch for the White Sox against Mariners left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (0-0, 2.53).
The Sox are winding up their season-opening road trip Wednesday afternoon in Cleveland against the Indians.
Anderson expected for opener
Shortstop Tim Anderson missed the two games in Cleveland to be with his wife, Bria, who delivered the couple’s second daughter Monday in Chicago. He would have been allowed to take the day off on Paternity Leave but he had planned to be in the lineup if the home opener was played Thursday.
To fill his spot, the Sox recalled hard-throwing right-hander Jose Ruiz from Class AAA Charlotte. Ruiz pitched to a 2.70 ERA with 10 strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings during spring training.
Anderson’s daughter, Paxton, was an early arrival. Mother, baby and father are well.
“He came in the office [before the game Monday], he looked a little disheveled,” manager Rick Renteria said. “I was like, ‘what’s wrong?’ He said, ‘My wife is ready to have the baby.’ Obviously something you cant control.”
More of the same defense
A couple hours after Renteria discussed his team’s poor defensive play in the first four games, third baseman Yoan Moncada made a throwing error on a routine play in the first inning on a Jose Ramirez ground ball. Ramirez would score the first (unearned) run against Carlos Rodon, who struck out the side.
Jose Rondon, subbing for Anderson at shortstop, ranged right and slid to a knee on his backhand but Jordan Luplow’s ground ball glanced off his glove into left field for a single.
“I don’t feel a panic,” Renteria said. “What we do see, there are things to correct.”
Renteria viewed video of the Sox defensive issues, which include three or four mistakes or near collisions on pop-ups.
“Try to communicate to our players the things that are necessary for them to approve on, approaches in the field,” Renteria said. “It’s truly a long season and I’m glad it’s happening now and not happening in August and September. You never like it happening at all but if it had to happen right now is the best time to kind of make corrections.”
Jose Abreu, through translator Billy Russo, echoed the same too-soon-for-worry message.
“We have played just four games,” he said. “I think we’re going to be better. We have been talking as a team and the coaches have been talking with us. We know the things that we need to do better and I think the daily routine and playing in back-to-back games and getting into the regular routine is going to make us better, too.”
