PHILADELPHIA – The White Sox scored early and often in a 6-3 victory over the Phillies on Saturday evening at Citizens Bank Park.
Chicago faced Philadelphia right-hander Andrew Painter to start the game, and the team made him work during the opening frame. Painter threw 42 pitches as the White Sox scored four runs.
Painter didn’t record an out until the fifth hitter, Chase Meidroth. The White Sox already had a 1-0 lead when Meidroth grounded out to first baseman Bryce Harper, but Miguel Vargas scored on the play.
Andrew Benintendi ended up scoring the third run of the game on a groundout by Jacob Gonzalez, while Colson Montgomery scored the fourth run on a double by Tristan Peters.
“That’s a tough way to start the game,” Painter said. “You look at the first four hitters of that game, you're really not giving yourself a chance. So I’ve just got to be better at commanding the ball and just be a little more aggressive in the zone.”
The way White Sox manager Will Venable saw it, the first inning set the tone for how the game would end up. It started with Sam Antonacci, who led things off by getting hit by a pitch for an MLB-high 14th time this season.
“Antonacci was able to get it started, and behind him there were quality at-bats,” Venable said. “There were only two hits [in the inning], but there were four runs.”
The White Sox took advantage of Painter two innings later, when Montgomery and Gonzalez each hit solo homers to make it a 6-0 game. For Gonzalez, the No. 23 prospect in the White Sox organization according to MLB Pipeline, it was his first Major League home run. He received the silent treatment after he entered the dugout, but he was expecting the cold shoulder.
“I didn’t know what was happening. But I was told if I get the silent treatment, I would just go on with my day, and that’s what I did,” Gonzalez said.
In his short time in the big leagues, Gonzalez has a slash line of .316/.381/.474 with four RBIs. Don’t worry. He has been on an even keel since he entered The Show.
“Just with baseball in general, it doesn’t define me,” he said. “I have to thank God that I’m here. He is the reason I have this ability. So every day I go out there, try to play, lift him up and know if baseball doesn’t work out, it’s not going to be the end of the world for me.”
Left-hander Brandon Eisert was the opener for Chicago, but Sean Burke pitched the bulk of the game, allowing three runs in 4 1/3 innings.
The Phillies had a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth. Burke retired the first two hitters, but couldn’t get out of the inning. After Brandon Marsh homered, Burke walked J.T. Realmuto and Bryson Stott before Adolis García collected an RBI single to make it a 6-3 game.
Left-hander Sean Newcomb entered the game for Chicago and struck out Edmundo Sosa to end the frame.
Newcomb was set to face left-handed hitter Justin Crawford, but knew the Phillies were going to make a change once he entered the game.
“I figured Sosa would be the go-to pinch-hitter. I made Sosa feel uncomfortable and got him out of the box as fast as possible,” Newcomb said of his four-pitch strikeout.
Newcomb gave Chicago two more innings of shutout ball before Grant Taylor struck out the side in the final frame.