After a 2-4 road trip to Minnesota and Philadelphia, the Chicago White Sox have an off day Monday before a big six-game homestand against the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers.
A poor pitching performance in Sunday’s 9-5 loss to the Phillies ended things on a bad note, leaving them 4-4 since the loss of Munetaka Murakami to the injured list.
Still, the Sox are hoping their recent hot stretch since May will convince fans to make Rate Field the place to be this summer. They’re 20-11 at home and have won their last five. The Sox seem to play better with bigger crowds, though the fans have mostly come out on weekends.
“When Rate Field has 38,000 or 39,000 people, it’s a hard place to play,” pitcher Davis Martin said. “I hope Chicago shows up. Nico Hoerner was talking about how fun, how crazy that (Cubs) series was against us, and we felt the same thing. Even looking back last week against Detroit, I felt like we were trying to scratch back and claw in two of those games. On the road, it’s a different story. At home, the crowd and the energy, we feed off that.”
Erick Fedde is scheduled to throw the series opener against the Braves on Tuesday, after Martin was originally slated as the starter. The other two spots are listed as TBA.
Old school redux
Broadcaster Jimmy Piersall discusses his firing by Sportsvision on April 6, 1983. (Jerry Tomaselli/Chicago Tribune.
Bob Costas, the Hall of Fame broadcaster for NBC’s “Game of the Week,” will return to the booth for Tuesday’s Sox-Braves game on CHSN.
Costas will team up with Steve Stone on a throwback telecast that will use retro-inspired graphics to make it look like a 1980s broadcast. Hopefully Costas can give a shoutout to former Sox broadcasters Harry Caray and Jimmy Piersall, whom Caray called “the greatest announcing team in history.” Caray and Stone are also considered by many to be the greatest announcing team in Cubs history.
The Sox broke up the Caray-Piersall team after the 1981 season.
“Little people create big problems, and it was never the same after we split up,” Piersall said.
The Sox also return to over-the-air TV next weekend on “the U,” WCIU-Ch. 26, which will carry the Sunday afternoon game against the Dodgers.
Shortstops R Us
Chicago White Sox first baseman Jacob Gonzalez (7) catches a throw from Chicago White Sox pitcher Sean Burke (59) as they try to keep Detroit Tigers Kerry Carpenter close to the bag in the fourth inning at Rate Field on May 31, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Jacob Gonzalez was drafted out of Mississippi as a shortstop and got most of his starts at short this year at Triple-A Charlotte. But since being called up to replace Murakami, Gonzalez has played exclusively at first base.
“I’ll play wherever this team wants me to play,” Gonzalez said. “I just want to help us win some games, and the position doesn’t really matter.” The Sox, of course, have an everyday shortstop in Colson Montgomery, who will get the bulk of the playing time.
But would Venable like to see what Gonzalez can do there once in a while? Venable said with the current roster, the need is for Gonzalez to man first.
“We know he’s got that capability to play really any infield position,” he said. “Just where we have guys set up now, obviously Colson is going to be there. When we do more Colson off of short, that’s because (Luisangel) Acuña is there and (Chase) Meidroth can also play short. So we have a number of shortstops. If there’s a situation potentially, I guess maybe mid-game, you could see that. But the mindset going into these games is for him to be at first base.”
Montgomery has a long career ahead of him, and there’s also the possibility that the Sox draft UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky with the No. 1 pick in the July draft.
So where is Gonzalez’s future?
“You know he can play that position, and having that defensive versatility is something that helps you and creates opportunity for you. We do have a number of shortstops, which is a good thing. What that means for Jacob, I’m not sure. I just know right now we’re really happy to have him and have him play at first base.”
Heat wave coming
Chicago White Sox catcher Edgar Quero, left, congratulates closing pitcher Grant Taylor after their team defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in a baseball game, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson)
Grant Taylor is the fastest White Sox pitcher to get to 100 strikeouts, having set the record in only 68 innings last week in Minnesota.
“It’s not like I’m trying to get that record, but I want to get to two strikes as quick as I can,” Taylor said. “And when I have two strikes, then to bury people.”
Taylor’s triple-digit fastball and curve have been unhittable at times. He said he used his cutter more in the minors to induce early contact, but has mostly ditched it in the big leagues when he’s only being used for one inning at a time. “It’s such a short stint, and when I’m only seeing guys one time a night, it’s better to put up bigger stuff,” he said.
While he’s comfortable in his relief role, Taylor still could make the switch to starter down the road, as Garrett Crochet did with the Sox before becoming an All-Star.
“It’s a conversation I’ve had with my representation and the front office about how do we get to that point long term,” he said. “It’s definitely something I want to do long term. But right now I’m focused on pitching the best I can out of the bullpen.”
All-Star watch
Murakami seems like the White Sox’s best bet to make the All-Star game in Philadelphia, though he might not be able to participate due to his hamstring injury. Venable said he thought several players are deserving of consideration, mentioning Martin, Montgomery, Taylor and Miguel Vargas. “I hope they get the attention they deserve,” he said.
Martin said he’s not thinking about that, preferring to focus on the process, “and staying grounded from start to start.”
Taylor said he also tries not to look ahead. “My team doesn’t need me thinking about middle of July,” he said. “They need me to think about how am I going to get hitters out tonight. It’s something I’m trying to stay away from. If it happens, it would be cool.”