SAN DIEGO — Chicago White Sox pinch hitter Derek Hill hit a game-tying, two-run home run in the seventh inning Sunday against the San Diego Padres.
But the Padres broke the tie with a check-swing RBI infield single by Xander Bogaerts in the eighth inning, and San Diego held on to beat the Sox 4-3 in front of a sellout crowd of 40,171 at Petco Park.
The Sox (16-18) saw their five-game winning streak end. They had to settle for winning two out of three in the series.
“Tough loss, but we’re in a good spot,” Sox manager Will Venable said. “Guys just continue to play hard.”
Here are three takeaways from the weekend.
1. Derek Hill’s heroics on Sunday were just not enough.
Derek Hill of the Chicago White Sox celebrates his home run as Freddy Fermin of the San Diego Padres looks on during the seventh inning at Petco Park on May 3, 2026, in San Diego. Meg McLaughlin/Getty Images)
The Sox trailed 3-1 entering the seventh inning on Sunday. Chase Meidroth began the inning with a single.
Derek Hill hit for Jarred Kelenic and connected on an 0-2 fastball from Adrian Morejon for a game-tying, two-run home run.
Hill gave credit to the coaches for aiding in the preparation against San Diego’s lefties.
“It’s a big spot and he came through,” Venable said.
The Padres responded with small ball in the eighth. Ramón Laureano walked, stole second and advanced to third on a one-out infield single by Jackson Merrill. With two outs, Bogaerts checked his swing on a 2-2 fastball from Bryan Hudson and hit a slow grounder between the mound and third base for a run-scoring infield single.
Tristan Peters singled and stole second with two outs in the ninth for the Sox against Padres closer Mason Miller. But Miller struck out Luisangel Acuña to end the game.
“A couple of mistakes early there on the bases for us (Sam Antonacci getting thrown out at the plate on an infield hit in the first and Kelenic getting picked off first base in the fourth), but I thought the guys did a great job battling, gave ourselves a chance there,” Venable said. “Got beat with the infield single, with one of our guys on the mound.
“We’ve just got to keep going.”
2. The Sox played “the kind of baseball we want to play.”
Chicago White Sox’s Drew Romo celebrates after hitting a home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres on Sunday, May 3, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Venable said the Sox were “playing the kind of baseball we want to play” throughout the weekend.
On the mound, the team received back-to-back six shutout innings from starters Noah Schultz on Friday and Sean Burke on Saturday. At the plate, the Sox displayed the ability to slug in the form of homers on Friday by Munetaka Murakami and Colson Montgomery in the 8-2 win and they played small ball Saturday, including a safety squeeze from Peters during a 4-0 victory.
“Really good series,” said catcher Drew Romo, who homered Sunday. “I’d say that our team is clicking right now. The starting pitching is amazing, giving us a great chance to succeed. Bullpen is doing a great job. I love catching all these guys. That offense, timely hitting, finding ways to score runs, whether that’s the long ball or walks, getting on base and driving them in. Moving station to station.
“Just one slow hit away (on Sunday) and sometimes baseball is like that. It sucks.”
3. There was big minor-league news, including Braden Montgomery’s next step and a setback for Shane Smith.
Chicago White Sox non-roster invitee outfielder Braden Montgomery participates in media day during spring training at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz., on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
The Sox promoted outfielder Braden Montgomery to Triple-A Charlotte, the team announced on Sunday.
“A really good player, really dedicated to his craft and the things he knows he needs to do on a daily basis to go out there and play good baseball,” Venable said. “So, really happy for him and proud of him for the work he’s put in and it’s cool that he’s getting promoted.”
Montgomery, the No. 1 prospect in the Sox system according to MLB.com, had a .313 average with six home runs and 22 RBIs in 27 games for Double-A Birmingham.
“He doesn’t want to be good, he wants to be great. That’s a really valuable mentality to have,” Sox director of player development Paul Janish said on Wednesday at Rate Field.
Charlotte pitcher Shane Smith, who started opening day for the Sox, suffered a right rotator cuff strain. The right-hander pitched two innings in his most recent outing on April 30, his fourth with the Knights after being optioned on April 8. Smith will miss a couple of weeks, the Sox said on Sunday.