Cease K's 2 in scoreless Cactus League debut

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease walked two and allowed a single to load the bases with one out in the first inning of his first 2023 Cactus League start Friday at Camelback Ranch.

Results certainly aren’t as crucial as the process during Spring Training, especially for an accomplished pitcher such as Cease, who finished second in the ’22 American League Cy Young voting. But pitching coach Ethan Katz still paid his ace a brief mound visit.

“Just give me a little breather and say, ‘Hey. Just attack. Your stuff’s good. Just go after it,’” said Cease of the Katz visit.

Katz’s words of wisdom seemed to work, as Cease struck out Chad Pinder and retired Curt Casali on a popout to second base to end the scoreless frame in a 6-4 White Sox victory. Cease allowed one hit over two scoreless, striking out two and walking two.

“It was pretty good. Obviously walks aren’t ideal,” Cease said. “But they are pretty close misses. Just got to re-calibrate a little bit and get back into it.

“I actually felt good. I didn’t feel wild, even though I had the two walks. I felt pretty solid. I thought it was a pretty good first outing.”

Roaming Romy
A Friday start in center field for Romy Gonzalez means Gonzalez already has played all three outfield positions over the team’s first seven Cactus League games. Second base is also on Gonzalez’s spring resume, with a start at third base on the horizon.

Adjusting to outfield life has not been an issue for Gonzalez, who already has played in right field and left field as a Major Leaguer. He also feels comfortable moving from the outfield to the infield in a Ben Zobrist-type role as described by general manager Rick Hahn.

“I don’t think it’s going to be too much of a challenge,” Gonzalez said. “I’ve had this ability to be able to move everywhere. I’m very comfortable doing that.

“When I first started playing outfield, it was definitely a little foreign to me. It boils down to being athletic out there. Being comfortable.”

Gonzalez puts in extra work with first base and outfield coach Daryl Boston to get ready for the extra challenges.

“Just taking balls off the bat, especially during BP. That’s as close as game speed as you are going to get. That’s huge,” Gonzalez said. “Obviously working with D-Bo, we do a lot of early work and make sure we are comfortable out there.

“We’ll go a few times per week. I try to get as much as I can. Especially if I’m playing right [field], I definitely want to get some fly balls before the game. Just get some work out there for sure.”

Culture setter
Elvis Andrus has three hits in his first six at-bats and looks to be fitting in well at second base during his Spring Training move to the new position after 14 years playing shortstop. But manager Pedro Grifol pointed to Andrus busting his butt to first base on a ground ball back to the pitcher during the third inning of a 6-4 victory over the Rockies Thursday as an example of his leadership.

“That was impressive to me. That’s one of the reasons he’s here on top of all other things,” Grifol said. “He’s not just a vocal leader. This guy leads by example, too.

“He’s not just saying something and do as I say not as I do. This guy does it. He says it and he does it. That’s how we want to put this thing together.”

Spring firsts
Andrew Vaughn and Yasmani Grandal hit their first Cactus League home runs Friday. Vaughn’s three-run blast came during a five-run second on a line drive to left.

Oscar Colas picked up his first Cactus League stolen base and his first extra-base hit.