ARLINGTON -- The White Sox have an overall record of 6-2 since Munetaka Murakami returned to the No. 2 spot in their batting order and defensively at first base following a 35-game absence due to a Grade 2 right hamstring strain.
That ledger includes a 10-0 shellacking at the hands of the Rangers on Tuesday night at Globe Life Field, a rare game when nothing went right for the team tied with the Guardians atop the American League Central.
Some fans have pointed out Murakami is 5-for-27 with three doubles, five runs scored, one RBI and 12 strikeouts over those eight games. His presence simply makes a difference, whether he’s crushing 20 home runs as he did before the injury or even if he’s not finding as much success at that lofty level. But an individual effort such as Tuesday indicates the left-handed slugger is getting closer at the plate.
“Overall it’s getting better,” said Murakami through interpreter Kenzo Yagi. “I’ve been seeing the ball very clearly and I’m getting good at-bats. Overall it’s good.”
“Yeah, I thought it was good,” said White Sox manager Will Venable of Murakami’s night. “There was just more intent to be ready earlier, got the barrel to some balls. Didn't hit any out, but there were some really good swings in there.”
Until Luisangel Acuña’s leadoff single in the eighth, Murakami’s leadoff single in the third off starter Kumar Rocker was the team’s lone hit. So, how is Murakami making strides? He also drew a six-pitch walk in the first, giving him eight free passes since he came back healthy and at least one walk in seven straight games.
In the sixth, Murakami launched a 400-foot drive to center, hauled in near the wall by Cam Cauley. The White Sox (53-47) posted a 17-18 record without Murakami, but even with the loss of catcher Kyle Teel for six to 12 weeks due to a high left ankle sprain, they will be in an even better position once the American League All-Star turns some of these long outs into runs.
“We are going into games with good preparation overall as a team,” Murakami said. “We have to continue to keep this up and the wins will come along.”
This usually potent White Sox offense finished with only three hits. But their most effective pitcher of the night was Acuña, who threw four of his five pitches for strikes during a perfect eighth, albeit with a 10-run deficit. Left-hander Noah Schultz (3-7) yielded five runs on 11 hits over 3 2/3 innings.
Schultz worked within the zone, which was good news for the rookie. The bad news is he struck out two and induced just five swings and misses, per Statcast.
As a rookie with 12 starts, Schultz is expected to have some bumps in the road. But while the White Sox want that growth, they also are battling for a division title and what they hope is much more.
So, it has to be winning while developing.
“For sure, that’s a good way to put it,” Schultz said. “There’s a lot of things, a lot of things it’s easier said than done. Everything’s a learning experience every week. At the end of the day, got to be better out there.”
“We just make our adjustments and keep going here,” Venable said. “Part of that is continuing to get better, but it is about winning. So we've got to do whatever we can to make that happen. Obviously, today, we weren't able to do that. We'll just keep working and keep going.”