MINNEAPOLIS \u2014 White Sox starts look different without the dependability of veteran left-hander Martin Perez.<\/p>\n
Only once in his four starts did Perez not pitch at least four innings, and that was when he exited his start Friday in Boston with a strained left forearm. He doesn\u2019t have the highest velocity and won\u2019t wow you with his stuff, but he knows how to pitch with the tools he has and succeed with plus command.<\/p>\n
After the Sox put Perez on the 60-day injured list Monday, they got a taste of life without him in their 6-3 loss Wednesday to the Twins.<\/p>\n
Manager Will Venable was attentive, pulling relievers before the game got away from the Sox. His quick leash resulted in six relievers appearing in the game, with none except Jared Shuster pitching more than an inning. Jordan Leasure allowed a go-ahead home run to Trevor Larnach in the sixth, and Cam Booser yielded a two-run homer to Byron Buxton in the seventh.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018I kind of put them in a tough spot,\u2019\u2019 said Sox right-hander Bryse Wilson, who needed 55 pitches to get through 2\u2154 innings and allowed one run and five hits with three walks and two strikeouts in his first start of the season. \u2018\u2018I was on a pitch count, but I was still hoping to get through at least into the fourth inning, if not through the fourth inning. But for them to step up the way they did was awesome.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Venable mixed and matched the arms he thought could get the team through the game without completely maxing out the bullpen. The Sox have lost nine of their last 10 games.<\/p>\n
The pitching staff gave the Sox a puncher\u2019s chance early, and the offense supplied a bit of run support. Brooks Baldwin ignited a three-run fifth inning by drawing a walk. That rally temporarily gave the Sox a 3-2 lead.<\/p>\n
Wilson yielded a run in the third after he walked Luke Keaschall, who stole second, and Larnach. His command of his cutter, changeup and sinker wavered in the inning.<\/p>\n
After a mound visit, Wilson got Carlos Correa to ground into a double play on a sinker down in the zone. But with two outs, back-to-back singles by Ty France and Ryan Jeffers knocked in the Twins\u2019 first run and forced Wilson out of the game.<\/p>\n
Wilson\u2019s past experience as a starter was something he leaned on while preparing. When he\u2019s pitching out of the bullpen, he attacks hitters. When he\u2019s starting, it\u2019s a mind game as he tries to set them up.<\/p>\n
Wilson added a changeup during the offseason to improve his splits against left-handers. Entering Wednesday, he had allowed seven hits to lefties this season.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018He was just kind of living off his fastball, cutter and breaking ball, but we changed the approach a little bit,\u2019\u2019 pitching coach Ethan Katz told the Sun-Times. \u2018\u2018Using the cutter more up and in to create some space and the changeup to be able to get them out.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Still, without a clear-cut starting option in the majors or at Triple-A Charlotte to replace Perez, using multiple relievers to get through his turn in the rotation will be the Sox\u2019 reality for now.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018It\u2019s a challenge every day just to figure out how to put these guys in the best spot to win the game,\u2019\u2019 Venable said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Sox got their first taste of life without injured left-hander Martin Perez in a 6-3 loss Wednesday to the Twins.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":50579,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n