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It will be the division games that matter most for the Chicago White Sox down the stretch of the 2026 season. And after suffering another difficult-to-stomach sweep at the hands of the Boston Red Sox, the White Sox answered with a big weekend series win over the Cleveland Guardians.
It all came down to Sunday’s rubber match, when Davis Martin took the ball and surrendered two runs in the first inning before being removed from the game following a rain delay that lasted more than two hours.
The early stages of the game did not set up well for Chicago. While the offense jumped on Joey Cantillo with three consecutive hits to start the game, the White Sox left two runners in scoring position with nobody out in the bottom of the first inning. They then immediately went into the rain delay trailing 2-1, knowing their starting pitcher would be done for the day after recording just three outs.
That was a big blow for a White Sox team with an already taxed bullpen, one that had been pushed to the limit Thursday night in Boston during a 13-inning defeat. But with a key off day coming Monday, manager Will Venable emptied the tank, and the White Sox relievers proved up to the task. That included left-handed pitcher Hagen Smith, the No. 2 prospect in the White Sox organization, who made his MLB debut Sunday.
Smith’s debut was true to form. He recorded his first MLB strikeout on three pitches against Brayan Rocchio, the first batter he faced. He struck out the side in his first inning of work, even managing to punch out the notoriously stingy Steven Kwan.
Smith’s second inning, however, was much tougher. He walked three batters to load the bases with two outs, then worked a full count against Rocchio before inducing a lineout to third baseman Miguel Vargas. Smith escaped the jam despite issuing four walks on the day, ultimately throwing two scoreless innings and earning the win in his first MLB appearance.
He got that win thanks to Colson Montgomery, who stepped up with two runners on and two outs in the bottom of the third inning and pummeled a Craig Yoho pitch 110.7 mph for his 26th home run of the year. That blast put the White Sox on top 5-2, a lead they held for the rest of the afternoon.
It was an impressive display by the White Sox, who picked themselves up off the mat following a rough start to the game. Both the offense and the pitching staff did enough to secure the win.
“We all stayed pretty much locked in,” Montgomery said of the rain delay during his postgame interview with Brooke Fletcher. “We treated it like a whole new ballgame, 0-0.”
That win gives the White Sox their largest division lead of the season. It also put a new team in Chicago’s rearview mirror. The White Sox now hold a 3.5 game lead in the AL Central, and it is the red-hot Detroit Tigers who sit in second place, with Cleveland and Minnesota both 4.0 games back.
The Tigers are 7-2 over their last nine games. It's an ironic time for a hot streak after they traded both Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize at the MLB trade deadline, but they are by no means out of the race. The White Sox will have to keep taking care of business and stacking series wins if they want to run away with the AL Central crown.
A series win over the Guardians was a good start, but the difficult tests are not over. Next weekend, the White Sox will travel to Detroit for a three-game series against the Tigers.
Continue reading...
It all came down to Sunday’s rubber match, when Davis Martin took the ball and surrendered two runs in the first inning before being removed from the game following a rain delay that lasted more than two hours.
The early stages of the game did not set up well for Chicago. While the offense jumped on Joey Cantillo with three consecutive hits to start the game, the White Sox left two runners in scoring position with nobody out in the bottom of the first inning. They then immediately went into the rain delay trailing 2-1, knowing their starting pitcher would be done for the day after recording just three outs.
That was a big blow for a White Sox team with an already taxed bullpen, one that had been pushed to the limit Thursday night in Boston during a 13-inning defeat. But with a key off day coming Monday, manager Will Venable emptied the tank, and the White Sox relievers proved up to the task. That included left-handed pitcher Hagen Smith, the No. 2 prospect in the White Sox organization, who made his MLB debut Sunday.
Smith’s debut was true to form. He recorded his first MLB strikeout on three pitches against Brayan Rocchio, the first batter he faced. He struck out the side in his first inning of work, even managing to punch out the notoriously stingy Steven Kwan.
Smith’s second inning, however, was much tougher. He walked three batters to load the bases with two outs, then worked a full count against Rocchio before inducing a lineout to third baseman Miguel Vargas. Smith escaped the jam despite issuing four walks on the day, ultimately throwing two scoreless innings and earning the win in his first MLB appearance.
He got that win thanks to Colson Montgomery, who stepped up with two runners on and two outs in the bottom of the third inning and pummeled a Craig Yoho pitch 110.7 mph for his 26th home run of the year. That blast put the White Sox on top 5-2, a lead they held for the rest of the afternoon.
It was an impressive display by the White Sox, who picked themselves up off the mat following a rough start to the game. Both the offense and the pitching staff did enough to secure the win.
“We all stayed pretty much locked in,” Montgomery said of the rain delay during his postgame interview with Brooke Fletcher. “We treated it like a whole new ballgame, 0-0.”
That win gives the White Sox their largest division lead of the season. It also put a new team in Chicago’s rearview mirror. The White Sox now hold a 3.5 game lead in the AL Central, and it is the red-hot Detroit Tigers who sit in second place, with Cleveland and Minnesota both 4.0 games back.
The Tigers are 7-2 over their last nine games. It's an ironic time for a hot streak after they traded both Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize at the MLB trade deadline, but they are by no means out of the race. The White Sox will have to keep taking care of business and stacking series wins if they want to run away with the AL Central crown.
A series win over the Guardians was a good start, but the difficult tests are not over. Next weekend, the White Sox will travel to Detroit for a three-game series against the Tigers.
Continue reading...
