A four-hour rain delay, miserable weather and a soggy field did nothing to slow the White Sox on Sunday. Once the game finally got going, Chicago rolled past Detroit 8-1 and took three of four from the Tigers.
The win kept the White Sox within one game of Cleveland entering a pivotal stretch in the season’s penultimate series. The Guardians head to 84-win Boston, while Chicago goes to 67-win Kansas City. Cleveland’s sweep of the Athletics over the weekend pushed its lead over the White Sox by a half-game.
Chicago’s first run came the hard way. Colson Montgomery drew a walk, Chase Meidroth reached on a fielder’s choice at second, then Meidroth turned a pickoff into a stolen base. Braden Montgomery followed by ripping a 102 mph grounder past Spencer Torkelson, and the wet field slowed it enough to bring home the opening run.
For a while, that single looked like it might be enough. Instead, the White Sox kept chipping away once the game settled in.
In the fourth, Colson Montgomery worked another walk, Brenton Doyle singled with two outs to put runners on the corners, and Sam Antonacci delivered a two-strike slider off his toes and onto the scoreboard. Kyle Teel added an RBI single, and then Meidroth broke it open in the next inning with a two-run homer into a wind blowing in from left.
The scoreline was comfortable, but the game still produced a few strange decisions from Will Venable. After Davis Martin struck out a batter to start the fifth, Venable went to Hagen Smith even though Martin was relatively fresh after a few-week vacation in August. Smith walked two and briefly put Detroit in position to rally, but he recovered by striking out Hao-Yu Lee and getting Riley Greene to bounce into a broken-bat tapper to first.
Huascar Brazobán, Trevor Richards and Luis Castillo handled the rest well enough, and Chicago added more in the eighth. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases, then another walk and a sacrifice fly brought in two more runs for the 8-1 final.
The eighth also brought another odd moment when Tommy Pham singled as a pinch-hitter and was replaced on the bases by injured center fielder Tristan Peters, who then finished the game in left field. The White Sox were already up five at that point, with Monday’s off-day looming.
Sunday’s result left Chicago one win from its first non-losing season in three years and two wins from its first winning season in four. After the day off, the White Sox will play three in Kansas City and three back home against the MLB-worst Colorado Rockies.
Runners-Up
Sam Antonacci: 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI, 2B, SB, 17.1% WPA
Braden Montgomery: 2-for-4, RBI, 2B, 8.4% WPA
Colson Montgomery: 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB
Miguel Vargas: 1-for-2, R, 3 BB, K
Munetaka Murakami: 0-for-2, RBI, BB, K
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White Sox Affiliate Offers Late Reminder The System Still Has Life
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White Sox Just Sent A Clear Message About Murakamis Future
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Murakami is already under contract through 2027 after signing a two-year deal before the season, which gives both sides some breathing room. For now, Chicago appears content to let the bat settle first and revisit the bigger-picture contract discussion later, a clear sign that the front office likes the fit but is willing to wait for better performance before making a long-term commitment. [Read more 🡒]