CHICAGO -- If not for the second inning, White Sox rookie Dylan Cease would have had a solid start against the Twins on Friday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.

But that five-run frame counts as much as his perfect third and fourth innings, which led Chicago to a 6-2 loss to the Twins. The White Sox falls to 1-4 on this homestand with a fourth straight loss and dropped to a dismal 3-12 after the All-Star break.

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Cease’s record moved to 1-3 through his first four Major League starts, with a three-game losing streak of his own, to go with a 6.86 ERA overall. The right-hander actually has been plagued by one poor inning elevating his pitch count and shortening each trip to the mound.

On Sunday against the Rays, Cease had a 44-pitch second inning punctuated by a Travis d’Arnaud grand slam. Cease’s pitch count hit 42 during the second inning on Friday, with Max Kepler delivering a three-run homer as the key moment of the frame.

But here’s the reality about these 2019 numbers: They ultimately don’t matter. This season is about Cease learning what he needs to succeed at the big league level and gaining valuable experience as much as it’s about putting up one zero after another. The raw stuff for Cease clearly is there.

“Listen, if anybody's worried about Dylan Cease, I wouldn't be,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. “He's going to be OK.”

“It's definitely frustrating because it's causing losses, but there are positives to take out of it,” Cease said. “It's not the end of the world, but I need to be better. My confidence is there. I know I have good stuff. I just have to utilize it.”

Cease threw 98 pitches over five innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks with four strikeouts. He exited on a high note, though, firing a 97-mph fastball by Marwin Gonzalez to strand two runners in the fifth. Per Statcast, Cease induced seven swinging strikes and topped out at 98.1 mph with his fastball.

After recording the final out of the second inning, Cease went on retire nine straight. That sort of success makes it very easy for his cup to look half-full.

“The big thing is he's facing a lineup for a second, third time, and he's able to get through three innings without giving up runs,” White Sox catcher James McCann said. “Despite the fact that you have one rough inning and things don't go your way, he found a way to navigate through the lineup another time and a half or so and get through the fifth.”

Fastball command is what caused Minnesota’s big second in Cease’s mind. He talked Thursday to MLB.com about having a great side session where he made some changes to alleviate the big-inning issue.

While the results might not have wholeheartedly supported that belief, Cease believes Friday marked a step forward.

“For how young he is, his composure and his demeanor on the mound is awesome, and that's only going to aid him in his development and into the future,” McCann said. “Honestly, I think the biggest thing is just commanding the baseball. Command the baseball, and he's going to be really good.”

“He'll get through these little hiccups,” Renteria said. “When you're bringing up young players to the big leagues that have talent, you hope the transition is flawless and they cruise through and everything is nice and hunky dory, but some of them are going to get some hiccups. They're going to learn from them. They're going to continue to grow and get better, and he's going to be one of those guys.”

“Other than one big inning every game, it's been pretty good. But I've got to figure out how to get over that,” Cease said. “I’m going to get with [White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper] and the coaches and see what they're seeing, but just sticking to the process and keep working on it.”