MESA, Ariz. — White Sox left-hander Anthony Kay will look to put his final spring start behind him.
Kay allowed seven runs on seven hits with four walks and four strikeouts. He finished his first spring training in three years with a 4.95 ERA and secured the No. 3 spot in the rotation — his first start is Sunday against the Brewers.
“[I was] pleasantly surprised with the fastball,” manager Will Venable said before Monday’s 10-9 loss. “He’s aggressive with it in the zone and a good mix beyond that. [He’s a] guy that controls the running game really well too.”
Kay breezed early on, throwing three scoreless innings. He lost his command in the fourth inning, loading the bases on a single and two hit by pitches. He recorded a pop out and a sacrifice fly but couldn’t escape with minimal damage. He walked Tommy White to load the bases and gave up a grand slam to Drew Swift before being replaced by Jacob Heatherly.
“We’ve talked all spring to get ahead and get into good pitcher’s counts,” Kay said. “That wasn’t what I did today. Definitely going to look over it a little bit with the pitching staff and see what we can change.”
Pereira’s power
Outfielder Everson Pereira misplayed a sharp line drive to right field in Sunday’s 4-2 loss to the Mariners that resulted in a one-out triple for Dominic Canzone.
It was a rare miscue by Periera, who has held up reasonably well defensively as the Sox played him in right and center field. He was a late scratch on Monday with an illness but should be ready for Opening Day. He finished his spring training with two homers, five RBIs and a .899 OPS.
“He’s made some nice adjustments at the plate,” Venable said. “He’s worked on getting to his path, getting to some balls, making sure he’s covering some pitches in the zone there. He’s got a ton of power.”
Paez’s showcase
Right-hander Jedixson Paez didn’t have the final impression that he would have wanted entering the final two days of spring training. Making the Opening Day roster was always going to be an uphill battle for Paez, a Rule 5 draft pick who hasn’t played above Single A. He’s coming off a calf strain last season that cost him almost four months.
Paez allowed one run on three hits with two walks on Saturday. He said he was missing with his cutter to the glove side in the first inning and course-corrected on the fly. Paez posted a 6.35 ERA over seven appearances (two starts). His best pitch is a low-80s changeup, but he thrives off keeping hitters off-balance by using multiple pitches and having plus command.
With right-hander Mike Vasil out for the season, Paez could step into his role as a reliever out of the bullpen who can go multiple innings on short notice.
A’s 10 , Sox 9
• Designated hitter Lenyn Sosa finished 2-for-4 with four RBIs.
• Second baseman Chase Meidroth was 1-for-2, including a two-run scoring double in the fourth inning.
• Third baseman Miguel Vargas was 0-for-2 with an RBI.
• High-leverage reliever Jordan Leasure threw a scoreless inning.
On deck: Off day