TEMPE, Ariz. — Before Shane Smith’s final spring training start, White Sox manager Will Venable wanted his Opening Day starter to get back to his strike-throwing ways.“He’s got such good stuff, and [I] want to see it play in the zone,” Venable said. “That’s been something he’s gone in and out of stretches this camp doing.”Smith didn’t heed his skipper’s advice against the Angels. He hit the first two batters he faced and walked the third to load the bases. He struck out former Sox hitter Yoan Moncada for his first out but allowed an RBI single on a 2-1 count before Garrett Schoenle replaced him.Throwing 24 pitches (11 for strikes) isn’t a recipe for success for Smith. Early on, he didn’t have the fastball command — which he and the staff wanted to improve this spring—and couldn’t find the zone. Schoenle didn’t fare much better, allowing a two-run single before inducing an inning-ending double play.“I got as much practice of bouncing back as I could this spring,” Smith said after allowing four runs on two hits with three walks in Friday’s 4-3 loss to the Angels.This spring hasn’t been as seamless as Smith would have liked; he posted a 10.13 ERA over four starts. He’s not one who only takes away positives from spring training and sweeps the negatives under the rug. As the Opening Day starter, he knows he has the responsibility to set the tone for the season.“Everybody wanted to take strides [in spring training], so that…
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