White Sox starter Shane Smith roughed up in first outing of spring

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Right-hander Shane Smith, All-Star, has a different ring than Shane Smith, Rule 5 Draft pick. That’s the difference between now and a year ago, when Smith was making his first appearance in a White Sox uniform during spring training trying to prove he deserved a spot on the roster.On Monday, Smith made his first start of the spring — and it wasn’t pretty as he failed to finish the first inning after racking up 25 pitches to six batters — knowing exactly where he stands.“He understands that he’s a dude on this team,” manager Will Venable said Monday. “Last year he came trying to prove he was a dude on this team. Going through that year, the expectations change for him now. But there’s the added obligation of being a leader on this club. Guys look at him and follow his lead. He’s somebody who is going to take that challenge on.”The challenge Monday for Smith, who hit two batters, walked one and allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits while recording five outs was throwing strikes. Smith pitched a complete second inning and afterward, he recalled being bad in his first start last spring before impressing the rest of camp.Smith (7-8) would go on to make 29 starts and pitch to a 3.81 ERA last season with 145 strikeouts over 146⅓ innings. Posting a 2.37 ERA in his first 13 starts helped build a case to become the lone representative on what would be a…

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