Jose Abreu is sensing that this could be his first winning season after playing for six losing teams as a White Sox.
The Sox (6-4) came from behind to beat the Brewers 6-4 for their fifth win in a row Monday, but it’s no time to lay off the gas, Abreu said.
“We can’t get too comfortable,” Abreu said through translator Billy Russo. “We need to do our job and keep working because we need to get more results. This is no time by any means to get comfortable and think we are a finished product. We need to keep working.”
Abreu drove in a run on a groundout in a two-run first against left-hander Brett Anderson, then hit a tying two-run home run on an elevated 3-0 fastball from right-hander Corbin Burnes in the seventh.
With the Sox leading 5-4, Yoan Moncada homered in the ninth to give the Sox an insurance run. Moncada also singled and doubled, and scored a run in the first on Yasmani Grandal’s sacrifice fly.
Abreu is batting .295 with three homers and seven RBI.
“He’s been playing tremendous defense for us, having some big at-bats like he did today,” manager Rick Renteria said. “Just to see him experience and enjoy playing alongside some of these other guys that he’s playing with right now that seem to be coming into the game ... and be a part of hopefully something special here moving forward.”
Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon left after two innings with a sore shoulder and will be evaluated Tuesday. Rodon was making his second start since coming off Tommy John surgery. In 2018 he was limited to 20 starts because of shoulder surgery.
Renteria said Rodon was “fidgeting quite a bit” in the first inning.
“He came in, went right in, didn’t complain about anything,” Renteria said. “He went back out, obviously his velocities were down a little bit.
“He just said he was feeling a little something in his neck and the ball wasn’t coming out of his hand right, which is what we could see. ... So right now he’s got a little shoulder soreness and they’ll evaluate him tomorrow and then we’ll see where we’re at.”
The Sox have been such an entertaining team to watch in the first 10 games, but they can’t afford to lose more pitching. Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder) is already on the injured list and out of the starting rotation.
But the Sox lineup has been scoring runs in bunches.
“It’s always good to be around this team we have right now,” Abreu said. “A lot of energy and passion, that motivates you more every day.”
The mood is much improved after a 1-4 start.
“I was talking to Ricky in Cleveland,” Abreu said. “I was telling him that good teams that are ready to win usually start slow and they start to hit it off as the season progresses. I can tell you from experience that is the case. That’s because you need all the pieces to fit and sometimes it takes a little time.”
