Renteria wants to see fewer walks in the park from White Sox pitchers

Hector Santiago’s performance Saturday is an outlier for any staff. He walked six in 3⅓ innings, allowed eight runs and saw his ERA rise to 6.00.

But for the White Sox, it was an exaggerated example of what has gone wrong this season.

Entering the game Sunday against the Twins, the Sox had a 5.12 ERA, which ranked second-to-last in the American League. Their 221 strikeouts were the fewest in the AL, and their 144 walks were the most.

None of that is conducive to success, and the Sox know it. As for the walks, manager Rick Renteria said it could be an issue with pitchers’ delivery or their mindset.

“I think we have had a few guys that have worked quite a few walks in some ballgames, but you keep working and try to execute,” Renteria said. “That’s the bottom line, it’s about execution. I think as they continue to work, get more comfortable on the mound, hopefully those walks will start to diminish a little bit.”

Stringing along

Avisail Garcia is getting closer. But he still isn’t that close to returning.

Garcia, who has been on the 10-day disabled list since April 24 with a strained right hamstring, took swings Saturday and Sunday. But Renteria cautioned that, though Garcia is doing better, there still are some hurdles to overcome before he returns.

“He’s progressing well, feels good,” Renteria said. “We still have to put him on a regimen where we can start doing some more explosive work with him. He’s still a little bit aways, but he’s progressing well.”

Renteria said Garcia might go on a rehab assignment before he returns. Before going on the DL, Garcia was hitting .233 with a homer and four RBI in 18 games.

Ricky the singer?

After his impromptu singing performance Saturday that was spurred on by Renteria, Miguel Gonzalez threatened to make his manager perform sometime.

“Ricky’s gonna sing with me next time,” Gonzalez said. “I’ll be singing with him, but he’s gonna definitely have to be out there, for sure.”

Renteria wasn’t so sure.

“I don’t know if he’ll be able to get me to do it,” Renteria said. “But he has a great voice, and it’s nice to hear him sing.”

Renteria was impressed with the performance, but he wasn’t surprised.

“He’s always had a great voice,” Renteria said. “We kid with him a lot, but he’s always been a good sport and always contributed to the levity in our clubhouse.”

Watching the future

Eloy Jimenez hit his sixth homer of the season in Class AA Birmingham’s 6-2 loss to Tennessee, tying Matt Rose and Seby Zavala for the Barons’ team lead. Jimenez also doubled and is hitting .319.

Michael Kopech didn’t have as good of a day at Class AAA Charlotte. He went only three innings, allowed two runs and four walks and hit two batters in the Knights’ 4-3 loss to Columbus.

End of the line

Sunday was the last time Ken Harrelson and Tom Paciorek broadcast a game together. They shared the Sox’ TV booth from 1990 to ’99. This is Harrelson’s final year announcing games. Paciorek, meanwhile, was filling in for Steve Stone.