\u201cInexcusable,\u201d he admitted afterward, a valid criticism that many Sox fans agreed with.<\/p>\n
Before Saturday\u2019s 6-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians in a nationally televised game on Ozzie Guill\u00e9n\u2019s number retirement night<\/a>, I asked Venable if he was able to shake it off like he did after a bad game as a player.<\/p>\n \u201cNot easy to shake off at all,\u201d he said. \u201cStill working on that.\u201d<\/p>\n Did he sleep OK?<\/p>\n \u201cNo! I did not sleep OK,\u201d he said, raising his voice while laughing.<\/p>\n Are you OK now?<\/p>\n \u201cNo! But that\u2019s OK,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a game to play and that\u2019s the thing I appreciate about our group is I\u2019m not perfect, the players aren\u2019t perfect, we\u2019re all going to make mistakes.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was an awful mistake yesterday and one that I\u2019ll own and probably lose sleep over for a couple more nights. But we\u2019ve got a game to play and we\u2019re excited about that. That\u2019s what this league is about. You\u2019ve got to dust yourself off and get back up and go to battle. So that\u2019s what we\u2019re going to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Consider Venable dusted off, at least for now.<\/p>\n The Sox rallied with a five-run sixth inning to snap a four-game losing streak, moving three games ahead of the Guardians and Minnesota Twins in the American League Central.<\/p>\n Rhys Hoskins\u2019 two-run, sixth-inning home run off Anthony Kay gave the Guardians a brief lead, and Gavin Williams held them to one hit over five innings. But the Sox broke through in their half of the sixth on Munetaka Murakami\u2019s solo home run off Williams and a pair of two-run hits by Tristan Peters and Chase Meidroth against reliever Colin Holderman.<\/p>\n The bullpen did the rest, with Bryan Hudson and Grant Taylor pitching the final two innings.<\/p>\n \u201cWe needed that one,\u201d Venable said. \u201cI don\u2019t think there are two ways about it. It was a great game, especially to come back there against Gavin Williams, who continues to be really hard to score upon.\u201d<\/p>\n The\u00a0pomp and ceremony of Guill\u00e9n\u2019s number retirement before Saturday\u2019s game managed to somewhat dull the pain of Friday\u2019s loss, Venable\u2019s gaffe and the last-minute cancellation of Ja Rule\u2019s postgame concert<\/a>, which made a bad night worse for a few thousand hip-hop fans who only came for the music.<\/p>\n The Sox brought up top pitching prospects<\/a> Hagen Smith and Tanner McDougal from Triple-A Charlotte, bringing some more youth to the bullpen while giving the media something else to write about, and sending Schultz and David Sandlin back to the minors.<\/p>\n A sellout crowd of 38,227 turned up at the Rate, with standing room only tickets going for $100, showing that Sox fans love Guill\u00e9n and remain invested in the team. As easy as it is to find fault with the ballpark, it\u2019s still an electric place when it\u2019s full of Sox fans swilling and singing and swaying to the music.<\/p>\n It was also Bud Billiken Day<\/a>, which former manager Jerry Manuel always insisted was the unofficial start of the pennant race, proclaiming: \u201cNow the season begins!\u201d<\/p>\n These are uncertain times for Sox fans, who are programmed at birth to expect the rug will be pulled out from under them whenever things are going well. The Sox haven\u2019t won a playoff series since 2005, and though this season has been a shot in the arm, they\u2019re still barely over .500 with a rotation where only Sean Burke has been consistent.<\/p>\n![\"Chicago](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CTC-L-sox-guardians009.jpg\")
Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Anthony Kay (18) delivers to the Cleveland Guardians in the third inning of a game at Rate Field in Chicago on Aug. 8, 2026. (Chris Sweda\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n\n