La Russa: Sox remain confident in Kimbrel

In Tony La Russa’s opinion, Craig Kimbrel deserved a longer leash than he was given on Friday night against the Rays at Tropicana Field, when Kimbrel was pulled in the eighth inning with a runner on third and two outs.

Even after the White Sox rallied for a 7-5 win in 11 innings, La Russa revealed his remorse for how he’d handled a tricky situation with one of baseball’s all-time great relievers. Yes, Kimbrel had worked himself into a bit of a mess -- throwing seven consecutive balls to start, and later adding a wild pitch that moved a runner to third -- but he was one out away from cleaning it all up.

Instead, La Russa pulled him. And that sent a message the manager wants to take back.

“I said that it was a win I didn’t enjoy because he got the wrong message about respect and confidence,” La Russa said. “So we’ll talk about it. … I know how great he is.”

Kimbrel’s greatness spans a dozen seasons, with a career 2.11 ERA, eight All-Star bids and the most saves among active pitchers (371). When the White Sox acquired Kimbrel from the Cubs at this year’s Trade Deadline, he was at his very best.

But Kimbrel’s utter dominance with the Cubs has not shown up in the early returns with the crosstown Sox. Through 36 2/3 innings with the Cubs, Kimbrel allowed just six runs (two earned) while holding opponents to one homer and a .336 OPS. In less than a quarter of that time (8 1/3 innings) on the South Side, he has allowed five runs, two homers and an .846 OPS.

Such a tiny sample size is unfair to scrutinize when discussing a pitcher who has accumulated several years of good will. But those are the numbers, and they’ll need to be much better if the White Sox intend to use Kimbrel as a late-game trump card alongside closer Liam Hendriks.

That is the intention, of course. Otherwise, why trade for a lockdown closer when you already have one? A few questionable outings from Kimbrel have not muddied the team’s vision of how and when he’ll be used.

“I mean, Craig Kimbrel’s fine,” pitching coach Ethan Katz said. “He’s one of the best pitchers in baseball with a great track record. He’s pitching in high-leverage situations, he’s gonna be fine. He’s one of our main guys. We got him for a reason. I think he’s throwing the ball fine. He’s gonna be a big contributor down the road for us, and down the stretch.”

In other small-sample weirdness, Kimbrel’s batting average on balls in play (BABIP) has shot up to .333 with the White Sox. It was just .203 with the Cubs. And even though wildness was an issue on Friday, Kimbrel’s command has been sharp most of the season. His 8.7 percent walk rate is his second lowest since 2014.

So yes, Kimbrel is probably fine. Three blemished outings in his first nine with the White Sox stand out a bit, but the team’s confidence hasn’t wavered -- and neither has his.

“He’s been great about everything,” Katz said. “He wants the ball every day, and he wants to go out there and compete and pitch in these big moments for us.”