Chicago's Thompson gets some perspective

Trayce Thompson learned a very important lesson this spring.

While Jordan Danks, Paul Konerko and Jose Abreu taught him a lot during his time at big league camp, it was when the No. 8 White Sox prospect left Spring Training and went to the Bahamas that he learned just how precious playing professional baseball is.

Visiting for a funeral, the 23-year-old was reunited with his uncle, Colin, who was once invited to Dodgers camp but turned down a Minor League assignment -- a decision he still regrets to this day.

"He told me to relax and have fun and enjoy the journey and enjoy life," Thompson said of the talk with his uncle. "[And] ever since, I've had fun. We all decided to play this game as kids because we love it and so I am just enjoying it."

The center fielder used this new attitude, along with a more athletic batting stance, to extend his Southern League-leading hitting streak to nine games Sunday. Thompson went 3-for-4 with a double and hit his first homer of the season in Double-A Birmingham's 9-1 win over Jacksonville.

"I can see the ball better," he said. "Just [trying to] stay within myself and take a relaxed approach; lay off bad stuff and swing at the good pitches."

Last season, Thompson ranked second for the Barons in hits (116), doubles (23), homers (15) and RBIs (73), earning his fifth invitation to big league camp. During his nine games in Glendale, the right-handed hitter collected three hits and an RBI.

Now in his third stint in Birmingham, the California native said he and his teammates are enjoying themselves more on the field, which in turn, has helped their game.

"As a team, we were swinging the bat well," he said. "We've been having a lot of fun [and] not putting on a lot of pressure."

Chris Curley collected three hits for the Barons while Josh Richmond and Christian Marrero tacked on two hits apiece. With two doubles against the Suns, Curley leads the Southern League with six.

After allowing one unearned run on two hits while striking out two in five innings, Nick McCully (2-0) earned the win for Birmingham. The right-hander is coming off a start in which he also allowed two hits in five innings.

"He is one of our studs. We depend on him and we know what we're going to get," Thompson said. "He's a great pitcher and he knows what he's doing."

No. 8 Miami prospect Jose Urena (0-2) was charged with the loss for the Suns after giving up three runs on four hits in four innings. The 22-year-old hurler has gotten off to a rough start this season. In his first start, which lasted 4 1/3 frames, he was tagged for eight runs.