The White Sox keep finding ways to make September feel like a playoff push, and on this night they leaned on a simple formula: score first, keep adding on, and let the Rockies chase. That was enough for a 6-1 win at Rate Field, their 83rd victory of the season.
Miguel Vargas got things moving right away with a sacrifice fly in the first inning, giving Chicago a 1-0 edge before Munetaka Murakami followed with a blast to make it 2-0 in the same frame. Colorado did trim that cushion when TJ Rumfield homered in the top of the second, but the White Sox never let the game drift out of their control.
Sean Burke gave them exactly the kind of start they needed, carrying the game into the sixth inning after following David Sandlin’s lead from Thursday. Chicago kept building behind him with another sacrifice fly, this one from Kyle Teel, and then Murakami struck again in the seventh with his second solo homer of the night to push the lead to 4-1.
Teel added another run with a single in the eighth, and Murakami came through once more in that same inning, this time with a single that stretched the advantage to five runs. It wasn’t a flashy offensive night overall, but the big names delivered when the White Sox needed them most.
Murakami and Teel drove in five of Chicago’s six runs, and Colorado spent most of the night looking overmatched. For a team that had been written off after its blown 8-2 lead last week, this was another reminder that the White Sox are very much still hanging around.
The bigger issue remains Cleveland, since apparently no team can get the Guardians to slip. But Chicago’s path is clear: keep winning, hope for one break, and let the rest sort itself out. If that break comes, the White Sox would be headed to the ALDS and bringing playoff baseball back to Chicago.
Cold Cat
Andrew Benintendi: 0-for-4, 3 K
In Other News...
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White Sox October Ceiling May Come Down To One Front Office Bet
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Luis Castillos struggles have only sharpened the scrutiny on the decisions made in the summer, because pitching depth tends to define how far a playoff team can go. If the White Sox go home early, the discussion around this season may not center on the fact that they got in, but on whether the front office missed its chance to better position the staff for October. [Read more 🡒]