The White Sox dropped their second straight, this time 8-4 to the Angels. The bats showed up early, but the South Siders’ issues with stranding runners (2-for-18) continued. Their 4-0 early lead was gone in a blink, as the Halos rattled off eight straight runs and left the Sox staring at an 11-9 spring record.
The Good Guys got to Alek Manoah right out of the gate. Chase Meidroth took a walk, Colson Montgomery slapped a single, and then Austin Hays, still on his spring heater, drove a three-run shot to left. That’s three homers for Hays in the Cactus League. Enjoy it all now because if he keeps this up, he’s probably gone at the deadline.
Montgomery piled on in the third, yanking a 91.7 mph fastball 362 feet to right. 4-0 Sox, and for a fleeting moment, everything was feeling pretty good.
The wheels started to wobble in the fourth. Tristan Peters, fresh off robbing Logan O’Hoppe with a highlight-reel grab, doubled to start things off, and Korey Lee followed with a single. Lee’s all but punched his ticket to the roster with Kyle Teel out, and he’s been one of the few bright spots this spring. But with the bases juiced, Meidroth and Montgomery fizzled, and the Sox let the Angels right back in the door.
Anthony Kay did his job: four innings, one earned, four punchouts. But the bullpen? Not so much. Jo Adell finally broke through with a 469-foot moonshot in the fourth, but the real meltdown was still to come in the sixth.
Rule 5 flyer Alexander Alberto lit up the radar gun at 100, but couldn’t find the zone. Walk, stolen base, two straight singles, and suddenly the Angels were breathing down Chicago’s neck. Jake Palisch came in to put out the fire and instead handed Oswald Peraza the game-tying knock.
The Sox had a golden chance in the sixth, facing Angels blue-chipper Tyler Bremner making his debut. Bremner looked every bit the rookie, walking Lee and Oliver Dunn to open the inning. But the Good Guys went limp: Benintendi froze for strike three, then Meidroth and Montgomery rolled over. Another rally, dead on arrival.
The Halos took the lead for good in the seventh, teeing off on Tyler Gilbert with a Chris Taylor homer and back-to-back triples. The defense didn’t help matters, either, as Jason Matthews threw away two balls at third in the ninth, gifting the Angels an extra run.
The South Siders went down quietly in their half of the ninth. Jacob Gonzalez tried to get things going with a leadoff base hit, but the Sox quickly fizzled out, never threatening a real comeback.
The White Sox get another shot tomorrow night in Scottsdale, squaring off with the Giants under the lights. First pitch at 8:05 PM CT. Ryan Borucki takes the ball for the Good Guys, looking to keep his spotless spring rolling against a Giants squad steamrolling at 14-3.