White Sox faulty with controllables as effort slips in 9-run loss to Rangers

CHICAGO – Since the start of the 2026 season, maybe dating back to Spring Training in Arizona, the White Sox have played with a high-energy, high-intensity sort of style, with players 1-26 helping push them to the top of the American League Central.

It’s been as reliable as good pizza at any of the many establishments throughout Chicago. But every now and then, the cheese is too stringy or that pizza is undercooked. It was one of those stringy, undercooked sort of nights for the White Sox during an 11-2 thrashing at the hands of the Rangers Monday night at Rate Field.

And when it happens so infrequently, the problem is easy to identify.

“Yeah, I mean, that’s pretty rare for us,” said center fielder Tristan Peters, who homered in a career-best third straight game for the team’s two runs. “It’s going to happen. It’s part of baseball, a long season. But we are going to bring it back tomorrow and give it all tomorrow.”

“It was very low energy. I don’t think we were that into the game,” third baseman Miguel Vargas told MLB.com after the team fell to 2-2 on this homestand. “That shouldn’t happen. But you know, we need to be better tomorrow.”

Monday’s setback marked the sixth time this season the White Sox (68-63) have lost by nine runs or more. It was the 12th time where they have lost by six runs or more.

Shortstop Luisangel Acuña had to record the final out after Trevor Richards was taxed to 61 pitches in his 10th appearance during August. And with an 0-for-3 showing against the Rangers (66-66) with runners in scoring position, the White Sox are now 2-for-22 in that area on this homestand.

The play on the field didn’t look like the exciting brand of baseball shown by this engaging young White Sox squad, which picked up its 10th and 11 walk-off victories of the season over the weekend against the Mets. Maybe it’s a function of being on Game 14 of 16 in a row without an off-day, with the White Sox holding a 7-7 record during that stretch.

“It’s a lot of games in a row. It’s one of those moments,” Vargas said. “It’s hard to pick it up, especially when you are down in the game and trying to come back. I think it’s tough, but it’s definitely no excuse for us. Definitely tomorrow, we have to be better about it.”

“A bad day at the ballpark, right from the beginning,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “Some chances offensively, great play by [Brandon] Nimmo. You end up loading the bases and didn’t push anything across.”

Nimmo took away a two-run home run from Andrew Benintendi with a spectacular leaping catch at the right field wall in the first. Nimmo pumped his first and hit the ground in celebration after keeping the Rangers ahead, 2-0.

Venable thought the White Sox bases-loaded, one-out situation in the third was more of the momentum swing, when Kumar Rocker struck out Colson Montgomery and Chase Meidroth to leave them scoreless and hang on to the 5-2 advantage. Montgomery and Muentaka Murakami finished a combined 1-for-8 with six strikeouts, as Montgomery dipped to 2-for-24 with 14 strikeouts in his last six games, while Murakami has fanned 38 times during 83 at-bats in August, despite walking 13 times and hitting five homers.

“Just swing and miss,” said Venable of Montgomery. “Chase below the zone, chase above the zone, so just got to tighten up and make contact in the zone.”

“They are a huge part of what we do in here,” said Vargas of the struggling duo. “Since they are here in the clubhouse, in this organization, it’s a big change and we are winning a lot of games. It’s part of the game. They are going to pick it up. We all know the type of players they are. They are going to be back soon and they are going to help us to win a lot of games.”

Vargas has reached base 28 times over his last 11 games, and has walked in six straight and nine of his last 10. He’s leading the offense with Peters, but Vargas’ thoughts on his individual success seem to work for the entire team in not letting the one-night funk turn into something bigger.

“I’m just trying to see good pitches and trust the guy behind me,” Vargas said. “That’s our identity as a team. Trust the guy next to you. I think I just want to be patient and give the best opportunity to my team.”

“We came out with not a lot of energy. That showed,” Peters said. “But we’ll get back to it tomorrow. Just one day.”