Notes: Robert's 1st day off, Cooper and more

August 10th, 2020

got the day off for the first time in his Major League career in Monday’s series opener against the Tigers at Comerica Park. But it was more about giving the standout rookie a chance to catch his breath than about his 3-for-19 showing in the last five games.

Wearing a T-shirt with his La Pantera nickname on the front during a Monday Zoom call, Robert seemed to be the same picture of cool and confidence he has been since joining the White Sox.

“I’ve been trying to keep the same approach,” Robert said through interpreter Billy Russo. “I wasn’t expecting to have a moment like this or something that’s happening right now because I’ve been feeling good.

“It’s just baseball, this is just the way it is. Sometimes you are having good times and success, and sometimes you are not getting those good outcomes that you were having before. It’s just trying to be consistent and keep working hard.”

Robert has a hit in 13 of 16 games played this season and has four multihit games and three multi-RBI performances. He also has the highest swinging-strike rate in the Majors at 27.2 percent, per Statcast, and he is tied for third with 23 strikeouts.

But with a .302 average and an .823 OPS, Robert certainly doesn’t feel or look overwhelmed by the extra hype surrounding his game.

“I honestly don’t feel that way. I just feel like another guy from this team,” Robert said. “I don’t feel that pressure or that tension. I’m trying to be another part of this team and trying to help this team win games.”

“He's not worried, he's a confident young man,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. “But it gives him an opportunity to kind of observe a little bit and maybe during the course of the game have some conversations with [hitting coach Frank Menechino] and [assistant hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh] and continue to expand on his knowledge.”

Offense out of scoring position
Entering Monday’s series opener, the White Sox were 4-for-44 (.091) with runners in scoring position and had left 48 runners on base over the last seven games.

The White Sox have a 3-4 record during that time but also have scored just 10 runs during their last five games, in which they have a 1-4 mark.

“Every time that we have a runner in scoring position, everyone wants to drive the run in. Nobody wants to fail in that situation,” Robert said. “Maybe we have been trying to do too much.

“I don’t have an answer for that because we all want to take advantage of all those situations. Sadly, we haven’t taken full advantage of those situations lately, but I’m confident in our offense.”

Coop out of action
Pitching coach Don Cooper will miss the Detroit series as he is scheduled to undergo an arthroscopic left knee procedure on Tuesday. Assistant pitching coach Curt Hasler will fill in for Cooper, while Minor League catching coordinator John Orton will oversee the bullpen.

Cooper is in his 18th full season as the White Sox pitching coach. He is expected to rejoin the club on Friday for the start of a three-game series against the Cardinals at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Third to first
• Renteria hopes shortstop and designated hitter return to the starting lineup Tuesday in Detroit. Anderson would be eligible to come off the 10-day injured list at that point after sustaining a strained right groin, while Encarnación said through a team spokesman that he is “progressing well” in regard to his left shoulder soreness. Encarnación has not played since last Tuesday.

• The start time for Saturday's game between the White Sox and Cardinals has been changed to 6:10 p.m. CT from the originally scheduled time of 1:10 p.m.

• Right-handed pitcher was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners on Monday. Lail was designated for assignment Saturday by the White Sox.

He Said It
“Pitchers in the Majors are smarter. I think they also try to pitch around the zone for you to chase pitches. I think sometimes they are scared of a hitter, giving them a homer or something in a specific situation. That’s why they try to be more cautious and try to pitch around the zone more often than the Minors.” -- Robert, comparing pitchers’ preparation and scouting in the Majors to the Minors

“Simply to keep their heads up. Last night was a tough one, but that one's over and done. Take away from it what we can learn from it, do the best we can as we continue to establish what it is we want to become.” -- Renteria, on his message from the team’s usual pre-series meeting