The White Sox finally put together the kind of road performance that had been missing for more than a month, riding an early surge and a steady night from the pitching staff to beat the Orioles 9-3 and lock up the series.
Chicago had not won a road series since May 2 in San Diego, but that drought ended behind a lineup that kept landing punches. The White Sox jumped ahead right away when Andrew Benintendi doubled home Kyle Teel in the first inning, then broke the game open in the third with a burst that Baltimore never recovered from.
Colson Montgomery started the damage with a two-run homer to right-center, tying a game that had been even at 1-1. After that, the inning kept spiraling for the Orioles. Walks and singles loaded the bases and pushed the White Sox ahead 5-1 before newcomer Junior Perez delivered the big blow, launching a three-run shot to center to make it 8-1.
Chicago wasn’t done adding on. Jacob Gonzalez, who was all over the box score, doubled in Tristan Peters in the fourth to stretch the lead to 9-1 and finished 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs.
The White Sox offense was spread throughout the lineup, even if the third inning did most of the heavy lifting. Kyle Teel, Benintendi, Braden Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, Tristan Peters, and Gonzalez all reached base at least twice.
Erick Fedde gave Chicago the kind of start the club needed, working five innings and allowing three earned runs. It wasn’t spotless, but with the offense pouring it on, it was more than enough. Tyler Schweitzer then handled the rest, covering four scoreless innings for his first career save and keeping Baltimore from making the night interesting again.
Benintendi finished 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored, continuing a strong stretch at the plate. Since May 4, he has an .827 OPS and 128 wRC+.
Perez also made the most of his opportunity, going 1-for-4 with the three-run homer and now sitting at two home runs and a .919 OPS in 17 plate appearances.
Gonzalez’s surge has been just as important. Since breaking out of a long slump against Cleveland last week, he is 11-for-26 with three doubles, a homer, and 12 RBIs. His back-to-back three-RBI games in Baltimore have pushed his season OPS back to .738.
For Schweitzer, the outing was a sharp turnaround after a rough beginning to his MLB career. He came in with a six-run cushion and never let the Orioles breathe, throwing four scoreless innings without a walk and lowering his ERA to 4.50.
Fedde, meanwhile, continued to do what he’s done most of the time: keep the game within reach. Before Tuesday, he had posted five straight appearances of two or fewer earned runs, and this one fit the same general mold, even with three runs across five innings.
Chicago’s win was the kind that came from top to bottom. The early lead, the middle-inning avalanche, and the quiet finish from the bullpen all lined up to send the White Sox home with the series secured.
In Other News...
White Sox May Try A Surprising Plan With A Top Pitching Prospect
Tanner McDougal is getting close to pitching again, which gives the White Sox another important arm to monitor as they think about how best to handle one of their higher-upside young pitchers. The organization has been patient with the right-hander while he works back from a flexor strain, and his return comes at a time when Chicago is still sorting through long-term plans for its pitching pipeline.
What makes McDougal especially interesting is the possibility that his next step might not be the straight line most prospects take. The White Sox have precedent for easing talented arms in through relief before stretching them out later, and there is at least some logic to that path for a pitcher whose workload still needs to be managed. Whether that becomes a short-term bridge or something more meaningful for his development is the question hanging over his comeback. [Read more 🡒]
Two White Sox Pitching Rehabs Just Became Worth Watching
Two White Sox pitching rehabs are suddenly worth tracking in Winston-Salem, where Shane Smith and Tanner McDougal both opened their assignments with scoreless work for the Dash. Smith handled two innings without allowing a walk or hit batter, while McDougal came back with a clean inning of his own and two strikeouts in three batters faced, a tidy pair of first steps after time away from game action.
For a Chicago club still sorting through arms, the timing matters as much as the results. Smiths return gives the White Sox another chance to monitor a pitcher trying to reestablish himself, and McDougals outing arrives with the possibility that his path back could be shaped by what the organization needs most in the final weeks. The next few appearances should show whether these are just encouraging first reps or the beginning of something more useful for the big league picture. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Could Be Pulled Into A Brutal Crosstown Pitching Chase
The starting-pitching market around the deadline always gets tricky, and this one may get especially awkward on the South Side. The Cubs are looking to shore up a rotation that has been battered by injuries and uneven performances, and ESPNs David Schoenfield has pointed to one of the more intriguing arms on the board as a possible fit. Even with a 4.81 ERA, the right-hander is still being viewed as one of the better available starters, which says plenty about how thin the rental market can be this time of year.
For the White Sox, the timing matters because they are in the same conversation for the same kind of help. Any pursuit of rotation depth can quickly turn into a race, and the possibility of both Chicago clubs chasing the same arm only adds another layer to a deadline that already figures to be busy. The question now is whether the Sox are willing to push hard enough to keep pace if the market starts moving faster than expected. [Read more 🡒]