Rebuilding White Sox square off against Giants

CHICAGO -- As they play out the remainder of the season, long removed from any postseason hopes, the Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants have their focus locked solely on the future.

The White Sox, who have spent the season in the beginning stages of a rebuilding process, used the last four days against the defending American League champion Cleveland Indians as a blueprint for what could be ahead.

The White Sox were swept by the Indians, who captured a franchise-record 15th straight victory Thursday night with an 11-2 win. But as the teams continue to move in different directions, White Sox manager Rick Renteria said he considers the Indians an example of what can come through patience and the development of young talent.

"Do we use them (as a gauge)? Absolutely," Renteria said before Chicago's fourth straight loss Thursday. "Why wouldn't you want to look at clubs and what things they're doing to (win) and then aspire to have your players attain those feats?

"We talk about it a lot because, unless you talk about it, how do you attain it? You've got to talk about it."

Renteria follows a traditionalist's path when it comes to rebuilding by establishing a foundation built around pitching and defense. The White Sox have seen flashes of what's possible with some of their young talent, but they know they have to see it on a more consistent basis.

On Friday, the White Sox will send Lucas Giolito (2-1) to the mound to face the Giants and left-hander Matt Moore (4-13). Giolito has won back-to-back starts and allowed just a run and three hits over seven innings in his last outing.

Giolito, who is one of Chicago's building blocks, made the strong start after he threw seven scoreless innings against Detroit last month. Now, he will look to continue his progress against the Giants, whom he will face for the first time.

The Giants enter the series having lost four of their last six games. They snapped a three-game losing streak on Wednesday with an 11-3 win over the Colorado Rockies.

Moore, who is 4-1 in five career starts against the White Sox, has registered just win since June 20, but he had strung together four straight quality starts before struggling against the San Diego Padres. Moore has experienced control issues for much of the season, but he had started to see things turn around of late.

"I think as a staff, we've been throwing the ball pretty well," Moore told reporters after his most recent start. "(I) didn't think I gave us much of a chance to win tonight."

As Moore looks to keep progressing, the Giants, like the White Sox, will continue to give younger players a chance to show themselves as the season winds down. But on Friday, the Giants expect to have at least one of their veterans back in the lineup.

Manager Bruce Bochy told reporters Wednesday that he hopes catcher Buster Posey is healthy enough to play Friday against the White Sox. Posey had a swollen ring finger after taking a foul ball off his right hand on Tuesday night.

Posey did not play Wednesday before the Giants had Thursday off. Bochy said he hoes Posey could play first base or designated hitter on Friday, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

"That's not a guarantee," Bochy said, according to MLB.com.