The White Sox left Pittsburgh with a sweep and a blunt reminder that good pitching only goes so far when the bats vanish. Chicago fell 2-0 in Game 3, and the shutout was just the latest chapter in an offense that never found a foothold in the series.
That result also tightened the AL Central race. Because Chicago couldn’t take care of business against the Pirates, the Cleveland Guardians moved closer at the top of the division. The margin is down to 1.5 games now, which adds real pressure to next week’s three-game set.
On the mound, Chicago had enough to win a lot of nights. Hagen Smith was electric again, working two scoreless innings and allowing two hits while striking out three.
Erick Fedde followed with 5.1 innings, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk. The swing blow came on Oneil Cruz’s homer off Fedde, a shot that left the bat at 117.4 mph and ended up deciding the game.
Bryan Hudson inherited a run after Cruz followed with a base hit, but Hudson got a double play to close out the eighth. Jordan Hicks then handled the ninth with a scoreless inning.
The problem, as the scoreboard made obvious, was the lineup. Chicago went 6.2 innings without a hit against Pirates starter Jared Jones before Colson Montgomery finally broke up the no-hit bid with a double.
That was about the only spark. The White Sox finished with just two hits, went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, and saw every starter except Braden Montgomery strike out at least once.
It wasn’t just empty contact, either. When Chicago didn’t miss, it didn’t do much damage. The White Sox produced only four hard-hit balls, and two of those were the team’s hits.
After the sweep, the question hanging over this group is simple: are the White Sox actually built to succeed in the playoffs this year, or are they headed for a letdown in their first postseason appearance since 2021?
Next up is a trip to St. Louis to face the Cardinals.
Anthony Kay is lined up against Matthew Liberatore. Kay has been struggling lately, posting a 5.06 ERA over his last seven games, and he’s given up four or more runs in five or fewer innings in each of his last three starts.
Liberatore hasn’t exactly been untouchable, either. He owns a 5.57 ERA in 28 starts and 139 innings this season. Randal Grichuk and Brenton Doyle have homered against him in their careers, so the White Sox will be hoping the right-handers in the lineup can finally shake loose and get something going.
In Other News...
White Sox Pitching Decision Could Change Hagen Smith's Role
Luis Castillos recent stretch has left the White Sox with a little more sorting to do on the mound. After he failed to complete five innings in each of his last four starts, Chicago pushed back his next scheduled outing, and the club has not yet posted probable pitchers for the coming series. Will Venable said Hagen Smith is expected to get the ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates, a sign that the team is still balancing immediate rotation needs with the longer-term plan for a young arm.
For now, the White Sox are still working with Castillo on his mechanics and recovery while keeping other options in play. David Sandlin and Smith are both in the mix, and the way Chicago lines up the next few games could say a lot about how the team wants to handle its pitching depth from here. The rotation picture is still fluid, and Smiths role may end up being shaped as much by Castillos progress as by his own readiness. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Made A Miguel Vargas Choice Fans Wont Forget Soon
Will Venables decision to sit Miguel Vargas for what he called a routine day off quickly became one of those choices that travels well beyond a single afternoon. The White Sox were deep enough into the season that every lineup decision invited scrutiny, and leaving a star third baseman out of the starting nine only fueled the kind of injury speculation managers usually try to avoid. Venable pushed back on that idea, but the absence still stood out because Vargas has become one of the more important bats in the lineup.
Vargas did eventually pinch hit, but the moment never turned into the kind of late-game spark Chicago needed. He grounded into a double play in a critical spot, and the White Sox lost, which only sharpened the look-back at the original decision. With the season winding down, the bigger point feels pretty simple: if Chicago wants to squeeze out meaningful wins, it needs its best players on the field as often as possible, even when the margins feel small. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Face A Bullpen Decision That Could Reveal Their Plans
The White Sox have leaned on their bullpen all season, and Sean Newcomb has been one of the more important reasons why. With free agency approaching, his place in the mix is suddenly part of a bigger offseason question for a club that may want to keep the late innings from becoming a weak spot again.
Adrian Morejon is the kind of left-handed reliever who could fit what Chicago is looking for, after turning in steady work over the past three seasons and lining up for free agency himself. The White Sox can still try to bring back Newcomb, but the broader search for a dominant lefty should tell you plenty about how they plan to shape the roster once the offseason begins. [Read more 🡒]