Ryan Noda’s first outfield appearance with the White Sox could have gone better.
Noda, who has only appeared at first base or as the designated hitter since joining the Sox earlier this month, played nine games in right field during his first two major-league seasons, both with the Athletics. But Friday marked his first time there since coming to the South Side, and it proved the difference in the Sox’ 3-1 loss to the Giants.
Noda, a Chicago-area native, made a diving attempt on Patrick Bailey’s fly ball to right in the sixth inning, but he came up short, allowing the go-ahead runs to score on a two-run triple as the ball rolled to the wall.
“Good aggressive play, you like the thought,” manager Will Venable said. “Just as a play, you play [the ball] in front and minimize the damage.”
Before the game, Venable was excited to see what Noda could bring to the outfield on a day when Luis Robert Jr. was out of the lineup dealing with a sore hamstring and Mike Tauchman was once more the designated hitter as he eases his way back from a four-game absence with a groin injury.
“He’s kind of a sneaky athlete … covers some ground more than I think I gave him credit for just looking at him and his overall profile,” Venable said. “That was part of the attractiveness of acquiring him, his defensive versatility and his ability to go to the outfield.”
A sneaky athlete he might be, but Noda’s misplay loomed large as the Sox dropped to 26-56. Coming into the game, the Sox ranked as one of the worst defensive teams in baseball, with minus-15 outs above average.
Of course, scoring some more runs would have helped. The Sox mustered only one, twice failing to cash in with the bases loaded and one out.
“That’s something we need to be better at,” third baseman Miguel Vargas said. “It’s very frustrating.”
Tauchman in the outfield?
There could soon be a return to normalcy for the Sox in right field, as Tauchman — another Chicago-area guy — is expected to start playing the field again soon, according to Venable, after spending three consecutive games as the team’s designated hitter.
“Obviously, there’s times where he’s clearly guarding himself, but I think that’s by design,” Venable said. “He knows what he needs to do to make plays out there and stay healthy.
“I’m going to ask him every day here, knowing that we need him out there in the outfield to be able to do what we need to do.”
Sorrow for Schultz
The Sox’ top prospect, lefty pitcher Noah Schultz, fared poorly in his latest start for Triple-A Charlotte, surrendering five runs, five hits and four walks in just two innings Friday.