The White Sox appear to have carried over April’s momentum, coasting to an 8-2 win over the Padres for their fourth straight.
The offense came alive early, plating six runs on just three hits in the top of the second inning. The highlight of the frame came from Munetaka Murakami, who launched his Major League-leading 13th home run in majestic fashion. Statcast projected the no-doubter to right-center field at 413 feet with a scorching 111.1 mph exit velocity.
Colson Montgomery added on in the fifth inning, crushing his 30th career home run to extend the lead even further and put the game comfortably out of reach, if it wasn’t already.
On the mound, Noah Schultz turned in another impressive outing. The left-hander battled through some early command issues, throwing 28 pitches and walking three batters in the first inning before settling in nicely. From there, he cruised through six scoreless frames and picked up a pair of strikeouts in the fifth.
San Diego did threaten in the eighth, but managed just two runs as Osvaldo Bido worked around further damage out of the bullpen. Jordan Hicks slammed the door in the ninth, striking out Bryce Johnson to end it.
W: Noah Schultz (2-1) | L: Germán Márquez (3-2
Box Score
Batting:
Pitching:
Scoring Summary
- Top 2nd: Sam Antonacci singles on a line drive to right fielder Nick Castellanos. Colson Montgomery scores. Chase Meidroth to 3rd. CWS 1, SD 0
- Top 2nd: Austin Hays grounds into a force out, third baseman Manny Machado to second baseman Fernando Tatis Jr. Chase Meidroth scores. Sam Antonacci out at 2nd. Austin Hays to 1st. CWS 2, SD 0
- Top 2nd: Andrew Benintendi out on a sacrifice fly to center fielder Bryce Johnson. Austin Hays scores. Tristan Peters to 3rd. CWS 3, SD 0
- Top 2nd: Munetaka Murakami homers (13) on a fly ball to right center field. Tristan Peters scores. Drew Romo scores. CWS 6, SD 0
- Top 5th: Munetaka Murakami homers (13) on a fly ball to right center field. Tristan Peters scores. Drew Romo scores. CWS 7, SD 0
- Top 8th: Tristan Peters singles on a line drive to center fielder Bryce Johnson. Sam Antonacci scores. Austin Hays to 2nd. CWS 8, SD 0
- Bottom 8th: Miguel Andujar singles on a ground ball to shortstop Colson Montgomery, deflected by second baseman Chase Meidroth. Bryce Johnson scores. Fernando Tatis Jr. to 2nd. CWS 8, SD 1
- Bottom 8th: Manny Machado singles on a sharp line drive to left fielder Sam Antonacci. Fernando Tatis Jr. scores. Miguel Andujar to 2nd. CWS 8, SD 2
Key Performers
Noah Schultz: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 K
The team’s top pitching prospect continues to baffle opposing teams, this time holding the Padres scoreless over six frames. Opponents are now hitting just .139 against him, and he still hasn’t shown off his best stuff.
Munetaka Murakami: 1-for-3, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 1 R
MLB’s home run leader broke the game wide open in the second inning with a three-run shot to right-center field. At the time, it capped off a six-run frame to put the team ahead for good.
Colson Montgomery: 1-for-3, HR, RBI, BB, 2 R
This is already the 7th time this season that the duo has homered in the same game, which is the most by any teammate duo in their first 35 games of a season in MLB history.
Next Game
The White Sox will send out Sean Burke (1-2, 3.21 ERA) to face San Diego’s Michael King (3-1, 2.41 ERA) on Saturday evening. First pitch is set for 7:40 p.m. CT.
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Featured Photo: © Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
More than happy to comment on how fun it has been to watch this team. The last few seasons we lost most games when winning late and we lost almost every game when we were losing late. It is much different this season. We might have actual representation at the all-star game this year. Murakami is a lock. It will be hard to overlook Martin and Shultz if they continue to excel.