Spare Parts: Yolmer Sanchez’s Gatorade sequel

After coming up with the game-winning single in the eighth inning against Baltimore, Yolmer Sanchez seemed like he had earned the postgame interview, and perhaps another self-congratulatory Gatorade shower.

Welington Castillo instead received the invitation to sit next to Chuck Garfien, perhaps because Garfien also wanted to ask Castillo about James Shields' strong pitching performance.

However, that gave Sanchez another way to flout convention. Castillo saw Sanchez come out with the Gatorade cooler and briefly steeled himself for a dousing.

Instead, Sanchez once again showed why he's the nation's leading artist in the sports drink medium.

If you watch it backward, it looks like Castillo watched a crime against nature.

And this is just good fun.

This is why you let Sanchez swing away when he has a chance to tie or win a ballgame. Well, that and it's the better play.

Spare Parts

• Hustle or go: White Sox manager Rick Renteria keeps enforcing only way to play -- Chicago Sun-Times

Alas.

Some observers think, for example, that Sox players are called upon too often to bunt. Is it really the best way for a losing team to break through with some increased run production? Are enough of the Sox able to bunt proficiently to begin with?

But what does it matter what others say? There the Sox were hours before the game Tuesday, taking bunting practice.

‘‘It was just a reaffirmation, I guess, of focus,’’ Renteria said.

• Make the White Sox watchable: Bring up Eloy Jimenez once the arbitration date passes -- Chicago Tribune

It was only earlier this decade that bloggers were called "conspiracy theorists" for writing the White Sox paid attention to service-time dates. Now it's nakedly assumed in headlines.

• Baseball Therapy: How to beat the shift -- Baseball Prospectus

The White Sox are shifting more this season, but some teams are reducing the practice. One reason may be that while big shifts work on reducing singles -- especially for certain hitters -- it's accompanied by a big jump in walks, which negates the effect.

• The Shohei Ohtani experiment isn't just working -- it's been perfect -- ESPN

We're approaching the end of May, and Shohei Ohtani still hasn't been exposed as a pitcher or a hitter.

Hitting: .310/.362/.598, 5 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 7 BB, 22 K over 94 PA

Pitching: 4-1, 3.35 ERA, 29 H, 14 BB, 52 K over 40.1 IP