The Chicago White Sox couldn’t ride Saturday’s momentum into Sunday, falling 5-1 to the Minnesota Twins after another quiet day at the plate.
For a while, it looked like the game might turn into a full-blown no-hit scare. Through 5.2 innings, Twins starter Zebby Matthews was perfect before Drew Romo broke it up with a single.
That opened the door for Chicago, and Sam Antonacci followed with a double to put runners in scoring position. But Munetaka Murakami couldn’t bring them home, and the Sox never really cashed in.
Antonacci finished 2-for-4 with a single and a double, and a ninth-inning push gave Minnesota something to sweat about, but Chicago couldn’t complete the comeback.
It was the second straight rough offensive showing for the White Sox, who came up short this time after winning Saturday behind Andrew Benintendi’s three-hit performance. Matthews handled the bulk of the damage, working 8.1 innings and allowing just one run in the ninth.
Chicago’s pitching plan never settled in. With José Urquidy expected to take most of the innings out of the bullpen, the White Sox went with Jordan Hicks as the opener, and it unraveled quickly.
Hicks recorded only two outs, walked two, allowed one hit and gave up three runs. His ERA jumped to 4.43 after a failed double play turned ugly when Colson Montgomery threw errantly, extending the inning.
Tyler Gilbert followed Hicks rather than Urquidy and lasted 2.1 innings, giving up five hits and one earned run. That’s now four of Gilbert’s five appearances for Chicago this season in which he has allowed a run.
Urquidy, meanwhile, turned in a steadier outing: one run in five innings, with three hits and one strikeout. Even so, his spot on the roster may still be shaky with Drew Thorpe waiting.
The White Sox now head to Houston for a four-game series against the Astros, a key stretch for a club that sits 3.5 games ahead of the Cleveland Guardians in the division race.
Chicago will send Anthony Kay to the mound against Peter Lambert in the opener. Kay has posted a 3.72 ERA over his last seven games, though he was tagged for four runs in 4.2 innings in his most recent start.
Lambert carries a 3.66 ERA on the season, but his last seven outings have been far shakier at 5.25, including a nine-run collapse against the Los Angeles Angels on August 20. If the White Sox are going to take the first game, they’ll need the version of Lambert that looked vulnerable then.
In Other News...
White Sox Suddenly Have A Luis Robert Jr. Decision To Make
Luis Robert Jr. is back in the conversation around the White Sox after the Mets placed the outfielder on outright waivers, reopening a door that once looked shut. Chicago dealt him to New York, and his run with both clubs has been uneven, complicated further by a recent return from injury, which has kept the focus on fit as much as talent.
For the White Sox, the question is no longer just what Robert Jr. can do at the plate or in the field, but whether a return would make sense for the roster and the clubhouse. There has been no official move, and plenty still has to line up before anything becomes real, but the possibility alone gives Chicago a familiar and uncomfortable decision to sort through. [Read more 🡒]
Luis Castillo Is Becoming A White Sox Problem They Cant Ignore
Luis Castillo arrived as the kind of addition the White Sox hoped could steady a rotation that has needed far too much help, but the early returns have only deepened the concern. His most recent outing summed up the problem: four runs allowed in four innings, another short start in a stretch where Chicago has been looking for some kind of lift from the right-hander.
Over his time with the White Sox, Castillo is sitting at one win and one loss with a 6.45 ERA across 22.1 innings, and the numbers only add to the uneasy feel around his role. His rough patch did not begin in Chicago, either, since his production with Seattle also trended well below expectations, leaving the White Sox to wonder whether they are dealing with a temporary slump or something more stubborn. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox May Already See One Market As A Real Edge
Munetaka Murakami has already given the White Sox a clear example of what can happen when they mine Japan well, supplying middle-of-the-order punch since signing before the 2026 season and matching that impact with 29 home runs. It has only sharpened the organizations appetite for more Japanese talent, especially with international scouting director David Keller keeping a close eye on the Pacific Rim as the club looks for any market edge it can find.
That push comes with the usual uncertainty hanging over the MLB offseason, where a potential lockout could muddy the timeline for everyone involved. Even so, the White Sox are paying attention to the same names drawing leaguewide interest, including Seibu Lions left-hander Kaima Taira, whose 1.46 ERA has made him one of the more closely watched pitchers in Nippon Professional Baseball. [Read more 🡒]