The White Sox week started by getting walked off on back-to-back nights, there was a midweek goose egg to lose a makeup game to Atlanta, and then the pitching gave up 10 runs to a Mets team that is well worse than .500. Oh, and not to mention, it's the middle of a 16-game stretch, so Chicago's pitching staff was extremely taxed.
So much so that when Will Venable was asked this week what the plan was for the North Side portion of the Crosstown Classic, he told reporters there wasn't one. I am no idiot. I know this was likely a half-truth. There had to be concepts of a plan. That plan was "The Opener."
Following a loss that was lead off by and ended by Pete Crow-Armstrong home runs, Bryan Hudson was tapped to start Tuesday's duel against the Cubs. He gave up a pair of homers in his opening inning before he turned it over to Erick Fedde for 4 2/3 innings of scoreless work. In the end, Huascar Brazobán and his one-third of an inning would be enough to lose Fedde the bid for the win and allow Alex Bregman to walk things off in the ninth.
Sean Newcomb opened the last game at Wrigley. He earned one more inning than Hudson did the day prior, keeping the game scoreless before turning things over to the bulk reliever. The strategy worked well for the White Sox, with José Urquidy going six innings and striking out eight Cubbies en route to a 3-0 victory to avoid a sweep. Sometimes veterans still have some of that young stud left in them. It's nice when they allow it to peak out in-between the past-their-prime outings.
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#white #fedde #week

The White Sox are looking to rebound on the North Side after a heartbreaking, walk-off loss to the Cubs in extra innings Monday. With a chance to even the series tonight, they are turning to a (fairly) exhausted bullpen to handle Tuesday's game, with lefthander Bryan Hudson getting the ball first for the seventh time this season.
Hudson has been excellent as an opener when called upon, holding a 1.29 ERA across seven frames while allowing just one run on three hits and five strikeouts — with a solo homer serving as the only major blemish in those outings. Hudson has amassed a 3.14 ERA in 51 2/3 innings, alongside a 1.277 WHIP, and has given up just two home runs all season in 54 games. He tends to thrive more in low- to medium-leverage situations and has the lowest ERA (0.34) with the bases empty (26 2/3 innings), making the lefty the perfect candidate for an opener.
Without any corresponding roster moves from the Good Guys, it seems that the White Sox will roll with either Erick Fedde or José Urquidy as the long reliever options, likely hoping to get deep enough in the game — with a lead, ideally — to turn to Sean Newcomb, Huascar Brazobán, and Grant Taylor, maybe even in that order.
Since the Cubs will have a righty on the mound with Kevin Gausman making the start, the lineup looks much more solid from the South Siders tonight, especially with Colson Montgomery returning to the batting order, hitting sixth and playing shortstop. With the right-handed matchup, Sam Antonacci will slot back into leadoff, followed by Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas, and our clutch king, Andrew Benintendi. Tonight would be the perfect night for the Mune and Miguel combo to blast off with a pair of homers, but I'll take anyone stepping up to be the hero if it means we don't have to witness the Sox lose the way they did yesterday.
Chicago White Sox Lineup

#innings #Cubs #game

I know what you're thinking. Fridays against the Nationals at Citi Field. Isn't that a bit of a narrow category for a "best of" list? That's a tremendously fair point, but for whatever reason, it seems a disproportionate number of the most memorable games in recent Mets history have come on Fridays against the Nats — whether jumpstarting hot streaks, announcing the arrival of new stars, or simply providing a moment of joy in otherwise bleak times.
There are a variety of good options to choose from, as the Mets have won six of their last eight and 14 of their last 22 Friday contests at home against Washington. I've selected a quartet that I believe stand above the rest as true classics. With another weekend series with the Nats upon us in 2026, it felt fitting to revisit the unique circumstances that led to these games, the actual on-field events that went down, and the legacy they've left behind. So without further ado, here are the top Friday nights at Citi Field vs. the Nats (so far):
4. deGame – April 23, 2021
Setting the scene: After over 18 months of covid-induced absence (not counting cardboard cutouts), fans were finally back in the stands at Citi Field — but things weren't exactly back to normal. Seating was **** ed out, tickets were limited, and the sport was settling into a transitional season before the expanded playoffs and universal DH, after the automatic extra-inning runner, with seven-inning doubleheaders and mounting concern about "sticky stuff." But the Mets had promise, fresh off the acquisition and long-term extension of Francisco Lindor, out to a respectable 8-7 start, and featuring a two-time Cy Young Award winner who only seemed to get better with age. Thus far in 2021, Jacob deGrom held a 0.45 ERA with 35 strikeouts and three walks over three starts. As he warmed up in the bullpen before this Friday night start against the Nationals (only the seventh home game and third home night game since fans returned to the stadium), he felt so good that it made him "a little nervous." So we have a small but remarkably hungry crowd of 8,130 fans starved for something good to cheer, and a one-of-one ace nervous about just how good he might be. Sounds like a pretty good recipe.
Play ball: deGrom set the tone with a three-pitch strikeout of leadoff hitter Andrew Stevenson, each offering coming in at over 99 mph. One would think it could only get better for the Nats from that point on, but…not exactly. After five innings, they had struck out nine times and reached base only twice (on a well-placed grounder and a misplayed fly ball). The game was still scoreless, but that changed in the bottom of the frame when deGrom himself came to bat against Erick Fedde, slashing an RBI double to left and later scoring on a single by Brandon Nimmo.

#nats #only

Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero hits a home run during the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, July 31, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
Few things stop people in their tracks like the sight of Junior Caminero taking batting practice. Seeing the Rays' third baseman step into the batter's box during a game can also grab one's attention. If anyone needed a reminder as to why, all they had to do was see the rocket he launched off Erick Fedde of the White Sox on Friday night.
The estimated distance of "Cami's" fourth-inning solo shot to the left of center was pegged at 453 feet, the second longest in an 82-homer career through Saturday. There is no telling how far the ball might have sailed as it clanged off the D-ring hanging from the roof of Tropicana Field and 59 feet above the playing surface.
The blast was Caminero's 75th since the start of last season, which was his first full season in the big leagues. It was also his 30th home run of 2026, good for second in the American League. It also snapped a 12-game homer drought, which is his longest of the past two years and second longest of his career behind a 15-gamer in September 2024 that began a couple of weeks after he called up from Triple-A Durham.
Reaching the 30-homer mark may not in and of itself raise eyebrows a year after Caminero hit 45. Consider, though, that there are two months and 50-plus games remaining on the schedule. Hence, it is easy to see how another 40-plus homer season could be in order.

#caminero #homer #second #white

White Sox infielder quietly grabs honorable mention spot in midseason top 25 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Back in late July during the 2024 season, the Chicago White Sox decided to move on from pitcher Michael Kopech. Looking to rebuild, the club was involved in a three-team trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals, where Kopech headed to L.A., Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham headed to St. Louis, and the White Sox received Alexander Albertus, Jerel Perez, and Miguel Vargas.
The South Siders look like the true winners in this trade. Kopech is now a free agent after an injury-riddled season with the Dodgers, while Pham is in the minors, and Fedde is back with the White Sox this season.
It also helps that Vargas has been doing well, especially this season. Across 84 games, he is hitting .244/.357/.485 with 19 home runs and a team-leading 52 runs batted in.
MORE: White Sox urged to target Mets' All-Star starter at trade deadline

BALTIMORE (AP) — Colson Montgomery and Junior Perez homered during Chicago's seven-run third inning and the White Sox pounded the Baltimore Orioles 9-3 on Tuesday night.
Erick Fedde (3-6) allowed three runs in five innings for Chicago, which extended its lead atop the AL Central to two games over Cleveland. Tyler Schweitzer worked the final four innings for his first career save.
Orioles starter Trey Gibson (1-3) yielded eight runs, seven hits and six walks in 2 2/3 innings. He struck out five.
Chicago went 13-12 in June, making this the first time the White Sox have managed back-to-back winning months since 2021. They had a winning record in every month that year.
The game was tied at 1 entering the third, and then the first seven Chicago batters came around to score. After a single by Andrew Benintendi, Montgomery connected for this 21st homer of the year, a 440-foot shot to right-center.

The White Sox (44-39) will look to strengthen their hold on first place in the AL Central tonight in Baltimore when they take the field for Game 2 of their series against the Orioles (39-47).
Monday's opener belonged to the White Sox, who pulled away late for an 8-2 victory. The game was tied 2-2 entering the eighth inning before Chicago's offense erupted. Colson Montgomery delivered the go-ahead RBI double, Randal Grichuk added an insurance run-scoring single, and Jacob Gonzalez finished with three RBIs as the White Sox scored six runs over the final two innings. Chicago's bullpen was dominant after starter Sean Burke exited, with Grant Taylor, Chris Murphy, and Brandon Eisert combining for 3.2 scoreless innings without allowing a hit. Adley Rutschman drove in both runs for Baltimore with sacrifice flies, but the Orioles managed only four hits and struck out 13 times.
With the win, the White Sox improved to 16-25 on the road while Baltimore fell for the third straight game at Camden Yards and is now just 23-22 at home this season.
Tonight, the White Sox hand the ball to veteran right-hander Erick Fedde, who enters at 2-6 with a 4.34 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and 50 strikeouts in 74.2 innings. Fedde has been special in June. In 21.1 innings over five appearances, the right-hander has allowed just four earned runs (1.69 ERA). Baltimore counters with right-hander Trey Gibson, who owns a 1-2 record with a 5.64 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 30.1 innings. Unlike Fedde, Gibson has struggled in June allowing 14 runs in 18 innings.
Lets dive into tonight's matchup and find a sweat or two.

The White Sox waited until the last minute to tee off on Cleveland closer Cade Smith in the ninth inning once more, but could not convert a run with the bases loaded in the 10th, falling 4-3. As if to indicate dismay with leaving an attainable sweep on the table, the rain that initially delayed today’s contest almost three hours) started pouring. As a result, the two teams are again tied for first.
Both teams experienced traffic on the basepaths in the second, Erick Fedde with back-to-back walks, and Tanner Bibee with a hit-by-pitch and single. Both pitchers escaped their jams to leave it knotted at zero. The White Sox would again put two runners on in the third with singles from Sam Antonacci and Miguel Vargas, but the pair were left stranded when Andrew Benintendi hit into a fielder’s choice.
A single, an error, and a walk would load the bases for Cleveland in the top of the sixth, with no outs. Kahlil Watson singled on a line drive straight to Antonacci, whose throw to Kyle Teel in an attempt to cut down the second runner out at home short-hopped the catcher. That was all for Fedde, and surprisingly Brandon Eisert inherited two runners on and one out and was able to stun batters for back-to-back strikeouts, escaping the jam.
In the seventh, Teel got his first hit since coming back two days ago, and Colson Montgomery helped out with a double. With ducks on the pond a sac fly from Braden Montgomery sent Teel home, making it 2-1. Randal Grichuk came off the bench, but with that move, the Guardians went back to their bullpen to replace lefty reliever Erik Sabrowski. Grichuk launched a ball to center, but with a diving catch, Steven Kwan ended the rally.
Joe Rock came on to pitch in the Chicago eighth and struggled with his command. Petey Halpin started Rock’s outing with a single, and Kyle Manzardo walked. Rock was able to get a strikeout and a fly out, but walked Daniel Schneemann to load the bases and then walked in a run to keep the bases loaded for Kwan. Thankfully, Kwan has been struggling and left the bases loaded after going down swinging.

Colorado basketball unveiled its official 2026-27 roster late last week.
The release follows a busy offseason of turnover. The program bid farewell to several key players, including star point guard Isaiah Johnson and starting forwards Bangot Dak and Sebastian Rancik. Role players Felix Kossaras, Alon Michaeli and Andrew Crawford also departed the program.
As a result, the program returns just four major contributions from its 2025-26 rotation: guards Barrington Hargress, Ian Inman, Josiah Sanders and Jalin Holland. Hargress is a surefire starter and the Buffs' leader, while the other three returning guards will likely battle it out for one other starting spot and the top two spots off the bench. However, CU was in desperate need of size and athleticism, hoping its transfer portal additions would provide that element.
Colorado and Tad Boyle complemented Hargress in the starting lineup with former North Dakota center Noah Feddersen, UNC Greensboro forward Justin Neely, and forward David Gomez, to go along with a seven-player freshman class.
For more, here is the 2026-27 full roster, complete with each player's jersey number:

After a less-than-stellar trip to Houston, the Tigers home and had an off day to sit there and think about what they've done, mister. But, since the sport rolls on, the American Central-leading Chicago White Sox came to town (and yes, that looks weird to me too) for the opener of a three-game weekend series on a windy Friday night which promised to make fly ***** an adventure. After the lead changed hands a couple of times, a well-timed, well-placed, 2-run blooper was the difference in a 4-3 Tigers win.
Tarik Skubal made his second start since coming off the Injured List; his first one wasn't great, but there must have been some rust that he had to shake off. When healthy this year he's usually been the same ol' Cy Skubal, with an ERA of 2.81 (154 ERA+), a WHIP of 0.979, and seven walks given-out in 48 innings coming into tonight's game.
Brandon Eisert was an opener for Erick Fedde; Eisert's in his second full season in the major leagues, after spending a bit of time with the Blue Jays in 2024. He's opened a few times this year, so this wasn't anything new for him. Fedde was drafted by the Nationals and spent several ho-hum years there; he then went to South Korea in 2023 and had an ERA of 2.00 with a 20-6 record. He came back to North America after that season and hasn't been able to duplicate the success he had in Korea; maybe he can't find any good ***** chae here.
Randal Grichuk, who is only in the major leagues because he hits lefties, hit a lefty: a solo home run in the top of the first put Chicago up 1-0.
Matt Vierling got that run back and added one with a two-run home run after a Dillon Dingler single, putting the Tigers up 2-1 in the bottom of the first.

Wow.
What an incredible game from the South Siders, who never gave up regardless of how many times their safety squeeze failed to score a run, or how many home runs Matt Olson hit against them (two, by the way). This game had everything: solid pitching, drama, home runs, extra innings, an extended hit streak, and a rookie debut for the ages.
The White Sox (35-31) defeated the best team in MLB, stealing an extra-inning W against the Braves (45-22), 6-5. Braden Montgomery went 2-for-4 in his debut and checked many firsts off the list: first hit, RBI, home run, and walk-off. On top of that, Miguel Vargas flashed his power yet again, Chase Meidroth extended his hit streak from nine to 10, and the South Siders went 4-for-12 (.300) with runners in scoring position. Could have done without the bunts, however.
Because of course, the Good Guys went with their trusty opener, as Brandon Eisert was slated to man the first inning, but he only threw strikes roughly half of the time (11 of 21 pitches), gave up two runs, and forced Erick Fedde to enter the game in the first anyway. Eisert was somehow able to strike out Ronald Acuña Jr. after falling behind in the count, 3-0, to start the game, but a base hit from Michael Harris III began the madness before the lefty ceded a two-run bomb to Matt Olson, making it 2-0, Atlanta. Before Fedde came in, Eisert recorded one more out before putting another pair of runners on base, but Fedde thankfully struck out Austin Riley to end the threat.
Fedde made it through the second (mostly) unscathed, not without hitting Ronald Acuña and instigating some Acuña on Acuña crime, as Ronald was thrown out attempting to steal, tagged out by his brother Luisangel to end the inning — later confirmed by review. Unfortunately, Ronald later left the game with hamstring tightness, and hopefully it’s not a serious injury that sends him to the IL.

2/2: Value alert: Over 8.5 (-120) leans high with NYM's .260 team AVG & Cards' 3/5 OVERs. Blade Tidwell (MLB debut) vs Erick Fedde (4.68 ERA). Fedde's 5.49 xFIP suggests regression. NYM bullpen advantage (top 10 ERA) vs STL's middle-tier relief. Projected total: 9.2 runs. http...