Rookie reliever Tyler Davis earning trust in White Sox bullpen
SAN FRANCISCO — The White Sox have had a line of relievers racking up frequent flyer miles between Chicago and Triple-A Charlotte, but Tyler Davis’ spot on the big-league charter should be secure if he keeps throwing the ball like he has over his first month in the majors.
Davis, who was solely a position player in his final college season and just started focusing exclusively on throwing a couple of years ago, contributed another shutdown inning in a combined Sox one-hitter Tuesday in Seattle. He arrived in San Francisco with a 3.09 ERA in 10 outings, nine of which were hitless, with eight walks against 11 strikeouts.
“He’s very competitive,” manager Will Venable said. “He’s got good stuff and he’s not afraid to throw it in the zone. He’s a guy that really quickly earned trust here.”
Batters were hitting .091 against his fastball, which averages 96 mph.
“Just trusting myself, just trusting my ability and trusting what the catcher puts down and then having conviction in what I throw,” Davis said.
Noah walking a fine line
Rookie hurler Noah Schultz’ start Monday against the Mariners marked his first big-league outing without issuing a free pass.
“I did hit two guys, but no walks is definitely a step in the right direction,” Schultz said.
The walks had been the biggest problem over what has otherwise been a mostly promising rookie campaign for the Sox’ top pitching prospect, at 2-3 with a 4.93 ERA in seven starts (34 ⅔ innings) with 21 walks and 32 strikeouts.
Schultz, who’s scheduled to take the ball for Sunday in San Francisco, said his latest focus is on “my posture. Making myself go straight to the plate, not doing too much being over-rotational.”
Power in a pinch
The Sox entered their series against the Giants leading MLB with four pinch-hit home runs this season, two apiece from veteran outfielders Derek Hill and Randal Grichuk, who went yard in the ninth-inning of the Sox’ 5-4 loss at Seattle.
It’s another area the Sox have turned around early this season, slashing .240/.397/.560 in 50 pinch-hitting at-bats. Sox pinch hitters went an anemic .134/.216/.157 last season without a homer.
“I love it,” Hills said of his late-game opportunities. “It's an absolute blessing to be even considered to go up there and execute in that position, so I don’t take it lightly.”
Injuries in the outfield
Left fielder Austin Hays (calf strain) progressed well through his first three games of a rehab assignment this week at Charlotte and will be reevaluated after playing another series this weekend, Venable said.
The timetable is less clear for outfielder Everson Pereira, who is swinging but hasn’t thrown at full speed since a shoulder injury shelved him April 29. “I didn’t expect this to linger for this long,” Pereira said via interpreter Billy Russo.
It all leaves outfield roster questions looming for Venable & Co., with Sam Antonacci entrenching himself in left and Tristan Peters holding down in center.
“We've still got a few days before Austin comes back, and we'll see what happens between then and now,” Venable said. “Really good problems to have, when you have a lot of guys on your roster that are doing a really good job on a daily basis.”
Jarred Kelenic, who has logged regular playing time in right field this month, was a late scratch from Friday’s series opener, but the Sox didn’t immediately announce why.
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