Levine: Ventura Takes Blame For No-Replay Call

By Bruce Levine--

(CBS) -- The 4-7 start for the White Sox has been compounded by a couple of managerial decisions that have put Robin Ventura on the firing line.

It's not that Ventura will be let go anytime soon, but angry fans have the manager front and center in the crosshairs of what's wrong with the team.

In a three-game period in the past week, Ventura made two notable bad decisions. He asked Adam Eaton to bunt in the ninth inning with two strikes (he had missed two previous attempts in same at-bat) and the tying runs on base against the Indians. That failed when Eaton bunted foul for strike three.

Ventura also was unable to ask for a replay on time on an Alexei Ramirez tag play that appeared to have a Tigers runner out at second base. The end result of the non-challenge led to the winning run scoring Friday in Detroit.

Both issues stood out because of the lack of runs the team has produced in the first 11 games of the season. The White Sox have averaged 3.5 runs per game. If you take away the Saturday outburst of 12 runs, the White Sox have averaged 2.6 runs per game in the other 10 games this season.

Ventura took the blame for the late call on the relay request. Factually, it was a group brain cramp. General manager Rick Hahn said his video team only saw the Chicago television feed, on which the initial view was unclear on the tag of Detroit base runner Nick Castellanos. Once the video team saw the Detroit feed, it was too late for Ventura to put in an appeal.

Being a team man, Ventura refused to throw anyone else under the bus.

"That one, you could go out and do it, but we just missed that one," he said.

Ramirez told reporters he had the man tagged out, but he was less than demonstrative.

As for the Eaton bunting decision, Ventura told me that although he did call for the three straight bunts from Eaton, it was a situation in which he wanted his best hitter (Jose Abreu) up with a chance to tie or win the game. Eaton bunted presumably would keep Chicago out of the double play.

Ventura is human but not that sensitive to critics chiming in on his managing mistakes.

"That stuff goes with the (job)," he said. "The focus for me is what we are doing and how to make things better. The stuff outside is always going to be there. Even if you are winning, you will hear criticisms and things like that."

Ventura admitted he takes some of the things that happen home with him.

"You think things through how you can relieve stress on your guys, or help a guy get going," he said. "In the end, the trust is in these guys and what they are going to do."

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.