So, do you think the White Sox offense relies too much on home runs?
After watching the Sox score all nine runs in the fourth inning tonight, maybe they’re relying too much on the bat.
The White Sox’ inning, which started with two HBPs, ended in a nine-run outburst despite only five hits and only two balls hitting the outfield. They reveled in San Francisco’s mistakes, starting with Trevor McDonald’s sudden outburst and then some mistakes by the Giants defense.
The Sox failed to score in the other innings, but they didn’t need to. Despite having his roughest start since his first game, Davis Martin improved to 7-1 on the season and 6-0 after the White Sox loss by pitching deep into games.
After battling himself and a barrage of high fastballs for three games in Seattle, McDonald, who throws a sinkerball, was perfect for three games, even if he needed a hard-contact glove.
But by the end of the fourth inning, McDonald began pulling pitches into the left batter’s box. Sam Antonacci started the inning by standing there, content to take the ball off his calf and let it roll. Munetaka Murakami then reached it in an even less painful way, grazing his shoe on the dirt ground. Miguel Vargas got a fly out, but Colson Montgomery (who hit a screaming 114 mph lineout in his first start) took a perfect swinging bunt to left for an infield hit that loaded the bases and regained the menacing momentum.
Chase Meidroth walked five pitches and cracked the scoreboard without taking the bat off his shoulder, giving him the first run of the game. Next, Andrew Benintendi took his first pitch slider off his shoulder and hit a two-run double to left-center field, making the game 3-0.
That’s the first of two expensive shots by Edgar Kerro and San Francisco’s infielders. In what looked like a typical 2026 Cuello at-bat, he was up 3-0, hitting a high sinker for strike one and driving the pitcher’s sinker into the ground toward second base. Luis Arraez was in position to make a diving stop, and Maidroth was running through contact, so everyone knew the play was going to first base…
… Everyone accepted Arraez, who threw home to the catcher who gave up his at-bat. If he had pitched to first base, the Giants would have taken a 4-0 lead, but there would have been two outs and a subsequent strikeout by Tristan Peters would have ended the game then and there. As it was, the Giants still led 4-0 and the White Sox had the first out of overtime.
Jared Kelenic was scratched with a back contusion, and No. 9 hitter Derek Hill, whose decision to start was delayed, was hurt. Trailing 1-2, he hit a slider wide to tie the count, and then hit a sinker that rose just outside the bat into the hole on the right side to make it 5-0.
This may be the end for McDonald, but it’s not the end for the White Sox offensive line. White Sox non-roster invitee Ryan Borucki was added, but he didn’t make the White Sox regret their spring decision. First, he gave Murakami a bases-loaded shot that narrowly missed Antonacci, his second of the inning, giving him a 0-2 lead, but Murakami sliced the slider he tried to bury thigh-high in the outer third to right field and hit a bases-loaded double, basically ending the game on the spot. However, to add insult to injury, Willie Adams hit a ground ball from Vargas, resulting in the only unearned run of the inning.
From there Martin was able to cruise, but couldn’t take advantage of the cushion. He led off the fifth with a walk on the fifth pitch, a double by Drew Gilbert, and a walk to Harrison Bader after leading 0-2. From there, he had to negotiate exchange runs for outs, which worked well enough to register a win, but cost him some streaks. He missed his goals of becoming a starter for 19 consecutive games with an earned run of three or less and decreasing his ERA for seven consecutive games. Instead, it rose to 2.04 after Martin was removed on a Colson Montgomery error on Gilbert’s grounder in the sixth overtime.
Still, he only needed the services of Tyler Davis, Brandon Isert, and Trevor Richards to allow the high-leverage arms of the White Sox bullpen to enjoy a second day’s rest. If HBP continues to flow, we’ll probably get a third.
Bullet points:
*White Sox offense other than the 4th inning: 0 hits in 24 at-bats, 4 walks.
*The nine runs represented the White Sox’ highest scoring inning since May 7, 2023, when they beat the Reds with 11 runs in the second inning.
*Likewise, this was the largest all-scoring inning since September 17, 2007, when they won 11-3 thanks to 11 runs in the fifth.
*Antonacci became the first player to be planked twice in an inning since CJ Abrams last year. Yet it has only happened nine times in the past 50 years.
record: 26-24 | Box Score | Stats Cast
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