Pregame Notes: Double down

As a little peek behind the curtain, Pedro Grifol spoke to media before the clubhouse opened postgame Sunday-- a reversal of recent procedure but far from unprecedented--and the measured but clear pushback from players about their performance being called "fucking flat."

Monday morning the order was reversed, as is typical. Players who clearly anticipated the topic at hand gave their next-day reactions to a heated postgame fallout, which included a clubhouse meeting before Grifol addressed the media.

"Obviously we had a closed door meeting that got outside the doors, but obviously everybody's frustrated in that moment and that's what happens after a tough stretch like that," said Gavin Sheets. ""It was a heat of the moment thing. I haven't talked to him today. I don't think he wanted it to get out like that, but it did. It's what comes with losing: frustration."

"It's been a tough year for all of us, so some people handle that differently, as players do, as managers do, as coaches do," Nicky Lopez said. "I think that's just one of the things. We've battling and grinding, busting our butt, and yesterday we didn't have much going. He's the manager, he's entitled to do what he wants to do. It's our job to go out there and play."

Both veteran players mixed efforts to be diplomatic and understanding that a 15-39 record makes them subject to criticism, with surprise that getting dominated by a very talented Orioles' team Game 1 playoff starter from last year served as the breaking point.

"That's the tough thing, you're adjusting but every at-bat [Kyle Bradish is] showing something different," Sheets said. "I thought we ran into a pretty good pitcher yesterday with really good stuff. His numbers speak for themselves, he obviously had a great year last year and was coming off injury. But I talked to McCann last night and McCann was like 'he was as good as I've seen him.'"

But to take Grifol at his word, he was not softening his stance.

"You know what? I’m doubling down on what I said yesterday, OK? I thought we were flat," said Grifol. "They have their opinions. I have mine. This is not divided by any means. This is not them against Pedro, Pedro against them. It’s just a situation. I thought we were flat. They didn’t think we were flat. It’s over. We gotta go out there and play baseball."

Grifol reiterated the lack of division between him and his club by this difference of opinion multiple times. He stated multiple times that he would have already moved on from this issue already if not for the the assembled media asking about it. He pushed back hard on the idea that criticizing the team publicly in a pointed fashion was an intentional tactic, even though some players couched it as a possible attempt to motivate them.

"It's a way of trying to motivate us," Sheets offered. "That was the way yesterday that he felt and hopefully it works. We'll see today."

"I don’t know what it says to them," Grifol said when asked what response he anticipated. "Everybody has got a moment where.. For me it’s all about respecting the uniform, respecting the opportunity to be a major leaguer. It’s a privilege to be here. Obviously everyone in this building has earned the right to be here, but you still gotta earn the right to stay here.

"You can’t take any days off. You can’t. Not here. This is the big leagues. And if you want to take days off, then this is not the place to do it. I am even-keeled. I’ve been managing for 200 and whatever games. And everybody has that point where like, OK, we've got to turn it up. That was yesterday."

The White Sox have lost 9 of their last 10 games, all played against AL East opponents. That could be an inflection point for many teams, but this roster's fate and built-in shortcomings felt determined before this. With a clubhouse culture that players continue to reiterate is strong despite the difficulty of this situation, Grifol's reaction to all of this is currently the defining feature of what outwardly reads as a last place, rebuilding club getting run over by superior teams.

Maybe this is Grifol's effort to disrupt that fate, as his reputation and role as a manager is not aided by long-term considerations like how good the Double-A Birmingham rotation looks. But he insists there's nothing contrived in his reaction.

"We all have a responsibility here in the Major Leagues to come out and give it our very best every single day," Grifol said. "We have a responsibility to our owner, we have a responsibility to this uniform that we wear, to the fans who come see us play. We have to have a responsibility to this every single day.

"Not once in a while. Not four out of five. Not six out of seven. Every single day we have a responsibility. I’m not saying everybody is going to be perfect on that. I’m not saying everybody is going to be perfect on that because I certainly have to crosscheck myself on that every once in a while, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to let me personally be flat the whole day. If I catch myself being flat, I gotta kick myself in the ass and make sure I’m giving everything I got every single day I put a major league uniform on."

-- Hall of Fame pitcher and Orioles broadcaster Jim Palmer also felt that Grifol's reaction undersold the difficulty of his offense's assignment on the day.

-- If you actually want a preview for Monday's game, here's a little ditty on starting pitcher Nick Nastrini.

-- Assistant general manager Josh Barfield played in the East-West Classic at the Baseball Hall of Fame over the weekend, an event honoring the Negro Leagues and Black baseball in America. Barfield said José Contreras was throwing splitters and dropping arm angles like the days of old.

First Pitch: White Sox vs. Blue Jays

TV: NBC Sports Chicago

Lineups: