KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tony La Russa said he was “surprised” but also welcomed Johnny Cueto’s thoughts after the Chicago White Sox starter said the team needed to “show the fire that we have — if we have any.”
Cueto was asked after Wednesday’s 8-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals what in his view the club needed to string wins together. Cueto, speaking through an interpreter, said the Sox “need to be more aggressive and we need to show more swagger. We need to go out there and play, and play hard and show what we can do.”
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“We need to fight,” Cueto said. “We need to show the fight, we need to show the fire that we have — if we have any.”
La Russa said Thursday morning at Kauffman Stadium that he heard Cueto’s answer, and his preference was to keep statements in-house.
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“I’m surprised that he said that,” La Russa said. “But not only is his opinion welcomed, it also carries weight. (He’s) experienced. So I’ll ask him about it.
“He’s a veteran, we all respect him. But it’s surprising, usually that’s better said in the clubhouse for the teammates. That way it can be discussed.”
La Russa pointed to double plays like second baseman Josh Harrison’s flip to shortstop Lenyn Sosa in Wednesday’s game as a positive.
“It’s a curious statement,” La Russa said Thursday. “Better to be discussed with the family, if there’s a problem, we’ll straighten it out.”
Wednesday was another missed opportunity. The Sox took a two-run lead in the top of the sixth, but the Royals answered with two in the bottom of the inning and grabbed the lead on a solo homer in the seventh. The Royals added four runs in the eighth.
Cueto, 36, allowed two earned runs on nine hits and did not factor in the decision.
The Sox have alternated wins over their last eight games and entered Thursday’s series finale one game over .500 at 56-55. They are in third place in the American League Central, trailing the first-place Cleveland Guardians by 2½ games.
Before the game, the Sox announced shortstop Tim Anderson underwent successful surgery Thursday morning in Chicago to repair a sagittal band tear on the middle finger of his left hand. The All-Star’s expected return remains about six weeks.
