Third to first

By Scott Merkin

April 2, 2014

• Conor Gillaspie was out of Wednesday's lineup due to the flu. Marcus Semien, who started at second on Opening Day, moved to third base and Leury Garcia stepped in at second and hitting ninth.

Ventura likes the flexibility provided by players such as Semien and Garcia.

"Anytime you can move guys around ... if something like this comes up you can slot guys and move them around," Ventura said. "The versatility of Marcus and Leury, you can fill that spot without feeling vulnerable and exposed."

• Chris Sale won his second straight Opening Day start Monday one day after celebrating his 25th birthday.

• De Aza became the fourth player in White Sox history to hit two home runs on Opening Day, joining Jim Thome (2008 at Cleveland), Sammy Sosa (1991 at Baltimore) and Minnie Minoso (1960 vs. Kansas City).

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Merk's Works, and follow him on Twitter @scottmerkin.