Levine: Mat Latos Showcases His Good, Then Too Much Of The Bad

By Bruce Levine--

GLENDALE, Ariz. (CBS) -- For likely White Sox No. 4 starter Mat Latos, it was a case of the good, the bad and the ugly Tuesday.

After four competitive innings of good pitch selection and fastball command in which he allowed two runs, the roof fell in on Latos, as he surrendered five runs in the fifth inning against the Giants. He finished with an ugly stat line, allowing seven runs, all earned on 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings.

"Innings one to four, we executed our game plan," Latos said. "In the fifth inning, I let a couple of things get to me. A couple of cheap hits, and then I started to get away from my main focus. I hung a slider, and it cost me."

Latos signed a one-year, $3-million in early February. Since that time, he has worked on conditioning and command in B games prior to his first Cactus League outing Tuesday.

"This wasn't bad for my first big league outing," Latos said. "The fifth inning was real terrible, one through four was really good. I expected some things but not a complete explosion. That was kind of bad. I am healthy, my knee feels good. I think one through four gives you a better idea how I feel."

Latos has a rotation spot in hand, as he and left-hander John Danks will fill the fourth and fifth slots in some order. Latos has enjoyed his work with pitching coach Don Cooper so far and remains positive despite Tuesday's rough outing.

"Everything is great with him," said Latos, who averaged 89-92 mph Tuesday. "He challenges me on a day-to-day basis. I have taken a lot of what he gives me into that game today. Just a selfish ,stupid mistake on my end (in hanging a slider), is just something I have to correct. That is not (usually) me. That might have been me in the past. Everybody has hiccups now and again. That won't happen again."

Latos was 4-10 with a 4.95 ERA in 2015 in time split between the Marlins and Dodgers. On Tuesday, an NL West scout thought Latos appeared to "run out of gas" in his poor fifth inning, saying his fastball was quality before then as he was also mixing the cutter and slider in while looking competitive.

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