Ricky Speaks: Waiting on Eloy
It's a first in Chicago White Sox history, so it almost goes without saying that today's do-or-die Game 3 in Oakland is a first for manager Ricky Renteria.
"I don’t know that there’s an anxiety," Renteria said pregame, with a laugh. "We think it’s fun. We have multiple scenarios as to how we’ll go through today. I’m glad we’re here."
Ricky named Dane Dunning has his Game 3 starter, quite a heady assignment for a player with fewer than 10 big-league appearances.
"He’s a starter," Renteria explained as the winning measure for choosing Dunning. "But it’s a great experience for him, and we believe he’s capable. Whoever it was, anyone could run long or run short. He can manage pitching in the big leagues, and do it well. Any of the young men we chose would have done well."
At the time he spoke to the media, Renteria had not yet gone onto the field to observe how left fielder Eloy Jiménez was moving. Eloy did end up in the lineup for the first time in the series, but in a limited (DH) role.
"You have two things to think about: risk-reward, and how much can he actually help me," Renteria theorized. "A DH spot is still possible for him, but that said, their health is also a main concern of mine."
As always, Renteria was optimistic and upbeat, at one point having a good laugh:
"Let’s face it, we need to do a lot of good things today."
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Ricky Renteria footage courtesy of the Chicago White Sox.
Actor (final credit: murdered by Albert Einstein in "Carnage Hall"), musician (Ethnocentric Republicans), and Nerf hoops champion, Wiffleball aficionado and onetime bilingual kindergarten teacher, Brett Ballantini also writes about baseball, basketball and sometimes hockey, for the NBA, MLB, NHL, and Slam, Hoop, Sporting News, the Athletic, SB Nation and others. He was CSN Chicago’s Blackhawks beat writer when their 49-year Stanley Cup drought ended in 2009-10, and took over the White Sox beat after that. He currently is the editor-in-chief of South Side Hit Pen and beat writer for Inside the Rays. He also wrote a book about Ozzie Guillén but is running out of space, so follow him on Twitter @BrettBallantini and he'll probably tell you even more about himself than you ever wanted to know.