Levine: Defensive Mistake Rankles White Sox Manager Robin Ventura

By Bruce Levine--

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Recently, nothing has upset White Sox manager Robin Ventura more than a ninth-inning botched pop-up to right field. A ball fell between three White Sox defenders for a double on Tuesday evening, extending what was eventually a 4-2 win for Chicago over Houston.

With an extreme shift on by the infielders to the third-base side and right fielder Avisail Garcia playing deep in a no-doubles defense, the angles and a lack of pursuit prevented anyone of the three from making a catch on a routine short fly to right.

The end result set up a two-run home run and a stressful ninth-inning save for the White Sox and closer David Robertson. Ventura's a patient man, but these days a lack of decision-making and passive play will and did push him over the brink.

He was still angry Wednesday, even after his club had won.

"Our defense in the outfield has been generally better," Ventura said. "I hope we can exclude that fly ball from the comment. Can it always improve? Absolutely it can. Any time you're content with how it's going and you see a play like that in the ninth, you revert right back to being angry and wanting to get behind it (get in someone's face). It has been generally better."

The White Sox outfield defense in 2014 was awful. Alejandro De Aza and Dayan Viciedo were among the least accomplished left fielders in the game last season. Bringing in Melky Cabrera has helped shore some things up in left field despite his abnormally poor offensive output.

Adam Eaton in center field and Garcia in right have the potential to be above-average at their positions, but they're not yet there in combining the mental and physical side of the game.

"Last night was the combination of both," Ventura said about the low-IQ play by his defense. "Physically, they have to get under it. There has to be the mental part of where you should be. Whose priority it is? Who should take charge? There is so much mental that goes into it, and they have to be able to think that way when they are out there. We can't talk them through it (preparation) once the ball is up and put in play. They have to go get it."

I asked Ventura if this an easy fix or a baseball IQ problem?

"It can be corrected," he said intently. "Yes it can be corrected, but I don't know if it's easy. Sometimes you just keep seeing it over again."

White Sox broadcaster Darrin Jackson was a fabulous outfielder during a 15-year big league career. I asked him how he saw the botched play from a Gold Glove-caliber outfielder's perspective.

"That one was one where nobody had called the ball," Jackson said. "At that point everyone is scrambling to make a play. Generally you want the outfielder to take charge. When your running full speed like Garcia was and you see the infielders trotting toward the ball, you say to yourself, 'He's got that.' Again, then you see the infielder is in trouble you say, 'Oh great.' The whole time you're looking at the second baseman because you believe it's his play. As the outfielder, you step on the gas at that juncture and you try to call it at the last second. To me it was a misplay by the infield and it then looks like a bad play."

There was some good and bad for the White Sox defense Wednesday night. Both Garcia and Cabrera made great catches, but the White Sox made three more errors.

Ventura applauded the web gems by Cabrera and Garcia.

"Tonight we had a mixed bag of doing things," he said. "Anytime you make errors, you are disappointed. You hate to put your pitchers in tougher situations. There were some nice plays in the outfield, they did make some really good plays."

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