CHICAGO -- White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper makes a quick correction in relation to young hurlers such as Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Carson Fulmer when talk arises of the organization being in Year 2 of its rebuild.
"Listen, we are two months into it," Cooper said. "Last month of September and this month here. Who the hell would want to be judged on two months?"
Cooper's strident and colorful defense of his staff has become a trademark of his highly successful tenure in Chicago. His ire gets especially raised when focus falls upon the early season shortcomings for Giolito and Fulmer.
Giolito, 23, made his 13th start as part of the White Sox on Wednesday in St. Louis. Fulmer, 24, has made 10 starts over his 21 career appearances covering parts of three seasons.
Both Giolito and Fulmer struggled somewhat at the outset of 2018 but have shown promise in each of their last two trips to the mound. And it's that development that is exciting Cooper about the team's future. He's also buoyed by the pitchers not beating themselves as much with walks and getting into too many hitters' counts.

"It's looking better right now, but not taking anything for granted," Cooper said. "We are putting the work in the bullpen, the game and any conversation I'm having with these guys. That's the meat and potatoes, always has been.
"We're afforded the opportunity to give these young guys a chance and go out there every five days, learn the craft, gain experience, find out who's going to be able to be with us when we get to where we really want to be. And we're headed in that direction.
"I personally think when you guys write stuff about their outings, it takes some people to the dark side," said Cooper, who considers himself a highly positive person. "It's quite a tall task, quite a big job, quite a challenge to go from where they were in Triple-A to establishing themselves as a Major League starter. If it was that easy …"
After a brief pause, Cooper mentioned Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens and Nolan Ryan not grabbing the brass ring the first time around. He also talked about Jon Garland coming to the White Sox as a raw 19-year-old and not being ready for success, but through tireless hard work, helped the White Sox win a World Series title in 2005.
Moncada out of action
A sore right foot caused by a foul ball, a strained left hamstring and a sore left thumb took Yoan Moncada out of Thursday's lineup against the Twins after he left early from Wednesday's game against the Cardinals.
"I took him out in the middle of a ballgame and I told him, 'I can't take you out in the middle of a ballgame and start you the next day. C'mon. Not a good idea,'" said manager Rick Renteria with a smile, adding Moncada shouldn't be absent more than one game. "What we're going to try to do is let him go through his routine today, do his work."

Castillo scratched
Catcher Welington Castillo was scratched from Thursday's starting lineup about two hours prior to scheduled first pitch against the Twins with lower abdominal pain. Omar Narvaez replaced Castillo, finishing 1-for-3 with one run scored and two passed balls, during the 6-5 victory for the White Sox.
Renteria explained the injury a little more postgame.
"He took a ball to the personal region of his body in Kansas City. He reaggravated it a little bit," Renteria said. "He was feeling uncomfortable when he came to the ballpark today.
"They checked him out and thankfully everything is good. He'll be able to [play] if he can manage the discomfort, he should be able to participate. Right now it's just day to day, and we'll see how he's doing."
He said it
"The most surprising part for me has been how similar everything was. When you look at the superstars on TV, you don't realize that you're playing the same game, so it's fun." -- rookie outfielder Daniel Palka