DETROIT — Right-hander Reynaldo Lopez needed only one word to describe his outing in the White Sox’ 6-3 loss Sunday to the Tigers: ‘‘Bad.’’
It’s the same word he used to describe his season overall.
Lopez allowed a two-run home run in the first inning to Jeimer Candelario. But it was a leadoff single in the second that tipped manager Rick Renteria over the edge.
For the first time since his shoulder surgery Sept. 6, Renteria — sling and all — marched to the mound. He got within inches of Lopez’s face to have a stern conversation.
‘‘I wasn’t raising my voice or anything,’’ Renteria said after the game. ‘‘It was serious, but more than anything, [I was] just making sure: ‘Hey, listen, you’ve got good stuff. You have the ability of performing. It doesn’t look like at this particular time you are very focused on your job.’ That’s all.’’
After his conversation with Renteria, Lopez got a double play before allowing a homer to Gordon Beckham.
In total, Lopez allowed five runs and nine hits, including three homers, in four innings. He struck out three and walked one.
‘‘It was a bad day, a bad outing today,’’ Lopez said through a translator. ‘‘Mentally and physically, I felt good. I didn’t have the command of my pitches today.’’
Lopez has been rocky all season. And his 5.57 ERA is one of the highest among qualifying pitchers this season.
He will have one more start to finish on a high note. But he’s frustrated with how 2019 unfolded.
‘‘I definitely can’t say that it was a good season,’’ Lopez said. ‘‘It was a bad season, a season in which I learned a lot of things that I didn’t know. I will recap this season as a learning experience. . . . I’m going to apply [the lessons] for next season, and hopefully next season is that much better.’’
Abreu gets defensive
In 2017, the Sox had an honest conversation with first baseman Jose Abreu about his position with the team. If he didn’t want to be limited to being a designated hitter, his defense had to improve.
Abreu put in the work to improve his ability around the bag, and it was on display throughout the Sox-Tigers series.
Abreu credited bench coach Joe McEwing for helping him.
‘‘I’ve been working with him day in and day out since spring training, trying to improve,’’ Abreu said through a translator. ‘‘All that effort, all that work has been paying off.’’
On a roll
Sunday marked third baseman Yoan Moncada’s seventh consecutive multihit game, which tied him for the fourth-longest streak in Sox history.
Renteria said he has been impressed with Moncada, whose batting average has jumped more than 80 points from last season to this season. But this is only the start of what Moncada can do.
‘‘I do think that there is still more in that tank,’’ Renteria said. ‘‘I think . . . he’s potentially a 30-homer guy.
‘‘We’ve seen him grow from both sides of the plate, and his overall game is not done yet. I think he’s going to continue to get better.’’