OAKLAND, Calif. — Third baseman Jake Burger had played in 21 straight games, so it was probably a good time for a night off, anyway.
Burger also wasn’t hitting a lick, so it made even more sense to him and manager Pedro Grifol as the 36-47 White Sox opened a three-game series against the 21-62 Athletics Friday.
“Definitely feel like I needed it,” said Burger, who is batting .102 in his last 13 games with one homer, one RBI and 19 strikeouts. “Not leg wise, more mental than anything. I’ve been outside my approach for the last week and half two weeks. Talked to Pedro, had a good conversation about it.”
Burger was 0-for-5 with three strikeouts in the Sox’ 9-7 win against the Angels Thursday, giving him a .215/.264/.514 batting line and a .778 OPS that ranked third on the team behind Luis Robert Jr. and Eloy Jimenez.
“Other than [Thursday] I haven’t really chased out of the zone,” Burger said. “Haven’t had that cookie to really drive. Getting into 3-2 counts and guys are making really good pitches. That’s part of it. What’s frustrating is I know it’s in there.”
Coach Eddie Rodriguez reminded Burger it’s about the body of work, not where he is at currently, reminding Burger he has 17 home runs this season. Twenty nine of his 46 hits have gone for extra bases.
“That will keep me in the right mindset,” Burger said. “Knowing me, I can get outside myself and try to over analyze some stuff. That gets you in a deeper hole.”
Grifol said he’s “not at all concerned” about Burger and has been satisfied with his defense as he mans the injured Yoan Moncada’s hot corner.
During the 21-game stretch, Burger was 11-for-82 (.134) with five homers and four doubles.
“One swing of the bat could change the game [for him,” Grifol said.
“It’s frustrating when I’m not hitting the ball like I’m used to and not hitting it over the fence,” Burger said. “It’s more about controlling the zone and not trying to do too much. It can be easier said than done. But I can’t let a stretch consume me.”
Banks and Scholtens
Left-hander Tanner Banks got the start Friday in the spot manned by Mike Clevinger [biceps inflammation], with righty Jesse Scholtens waiting in the wings.
For Sunday, Grifol said Michael Kopech not taking his turn and getting extra rest “is a good possibility,” which left a potential start for Scholtens depending how deep Banks pitched Friday.
Sox go to three catchers
Rookie Carlos Perez was activated and outfielder Adam Haseley optioned to Charlotte, giving Grifol three catchers to work with.
“We pinch run for [Yasmani] Grandal, we pinch hit for Seby [Zavala],” Grifol said. “I don’t want to get in a situation where we have to do both in the same game and we can’t do it because we don’t have a third catcher. There’s more possibilities for Perez to play than there is for Haseley ... having the third catcher is really more important for us.”
Grifol’s not sure how long three catchers will stick on the roster. If Perez isn’t used a lot, “we’ll make a move,” he said.