Miguel Vargas hit a two-run homer and Davis Martin pitched six effective innings as the White Sox beat the Padres 4-3 Friday to end a six-game skid.
Dylan Cease (8-12), who spent his first five seasons with the White Sox before being traded to San Diego, gave up four runs and four hits in six innings, including Vargas’ 15th home run in the first.
Cease walked three and struck out six in his first start against his former club.
San Diego tied it up after getting RBI singles from Luis Arráez in the third and Ryan O’Hearn in the fourth.
But the White Sox came back in the bottom of the fourth as Cease hit two batters, Mike Tauchman and Edgar Quero.
Curtis Mead and Will Robertson made him pay with run-scoring singles that brought both Tauchman and Quero home.
The Padres added one more run in the sixth on a double by Ramon Laureano and a RBI groundout by Gavin Sheets, but went down quietly in the final three innings against a trio of Chicago relievers.
Martin (7-10) allowed three runs and six hits with a walk while striking out four.
Edgar Quero of the White Sox beats the tags by Freddy Fermin during a game on Sept. 19, 2025 at Rate Field in Chicago. (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire)
The Padres, closing in on a second consecutive postseason berth, have dropped two straight and also lost a game in the standings to the Dodgers. L.A. beat the Giants 6-3 on the night that future Hall-of-Famer Clayton Kershaw made his final start at Dodger Stadium.
Kershaw announced earlier this week that he plans to retire at the end of the season.
The Friars are four back with eight games remaining in the season. The Mets also won Friday, but the Padres still hold a three-game advantage over them for the second NL wild-card spot.
“We gotta figure out a way to get on top of the game and play with a little more rhythm and be able to, you know, get a lead and add on, and have some shutdown innings and bring the game home … I am confident it’s going to happen, but it needs to happen soon,” manager Mike Shildt said.
The AL-worst White Sox be a hindrance though. A motivated Chicago needs to win five of their final eight games to avoid a club-record third straight 100-loss season.
Yu Darvish (4-5, 5.63 ERA) faces Yoendrys Gomez (3-2, 4.02) Saturday.
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