Erik Johnson encouraged by effort in White Sox victory

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TEMPE, Ariz. -- Erik Johnson didn’t pay attention to his line score but rather the way the ball left his hand on Monday.

The White Sox pitcher said he likes the direction he’s headed with only an adjustment needed here or there. Johnson allowed four earned runs, three hits and walked two in three innings in a 9-4 White Sox win over the Los Angeles Angels. Dioner Navarro had one of three home runs hit by the White Sox, who finished with 15 hits.

“I felt great,” Johnson said. “The ball is definitely exploding out of my hand. You could tell just by all the terrible contact, a lot of weak foul balls. For me, the two balls they hit really hard were just fastballs up over the plate. I’m still getting synched up, still really dialing in and I knew today I wanted to throw a lot of fastballs and that’s exactly what I did.”

Jose Abreu already appears to be dialed in. He went 3-for-3 with a double. Navarro also doubled in three trips. Matt Davidson homered as did Steve Lombardozzi. The White Sox have 10 homers hit by 10 different players this spring.

[SHOP: Gear up, White Sox fans!]

Johnson allowed a two-run homer to Mike Trout in his final inning. But he feels as if he’s on pace to be ready for the season.

“I feel good,” Johnson said. “I feel like I can go back out there. As far as where I’m at, I’ve just got to start syncing up. First time against another team, I feel good about it.”

Nate Jones struck out one in a scoreless inning in his spring debut.

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