White Sox' Ventura throws support behind Robertson

BALTIMORE — Though he likely won’t be available during the White Sox’ doubleheader today against the Orioles, closer David Robertson has the full support of manager Robin Ventura after blowing saves in consecutive outings this week.

“He’s still the closer,” Ventura said with a laugh Thursday, “if that’s what you’re asking.”

There was little doubt of that, but frustrated White Sox fans took Robertson’s walkoff blown save in Toronto on Tuesday particularly hard.

“The closer goes out there and we had already lost a couple … at that point you’re needing a win pretty bad and when you get the lead, especially the way it happened … it’s always tough,” Ventura said. “But I’ve never seen it to where a closer gives up a lead and it’s not a gut shot where everybody goes, ‘Oh my gosh.’

“Any time that happens that’s just the way it is. You just have to have a guy that’s resilient enough and can put it behind him and go back out there.”

Robertson yielded a three-run homer to the Blue Jays’ Josh Donaldson in the ninth inning Tuesday, taking a crushing 10-9 loss at Rogers Centre. Then Wednesday, he yielded another Donaldson home run to blow a save before pitching a scoreless 10th in a 5-3 White Sox victory.

With those two outings, Robertson’s ERA went from 0.98 to 2.61.

“It’s hard to get through this without getting nicked up,” Ventura said. “There are very few guys in the bullpen that go through it without getting a gunshot. That’s going to happen. Mentality-wise, you like where he’s at and how he’s responded.”