From Top to Bottom

All of the paradox, contradiction and youthful talent your 2025 White Sox possess was in full view during last night’s 12-5 drubbing of the Cubs at the Rate/Mall. Twelve runs on eighteen hits, including four homeruns (as counted by my grandson while the Sox only had two at the time). More, please. The contrasting tough-love vs. handle-with-care approaches to rookies Chase Meidroth and Colson Montgomery, respectively, continued apace. Meidroth batted leadoff against Cubs’ ace Shota Imanaga in the bottom of the first inning and went deep on the second pitch. Batting ninth, Montgomery went deep on the third pitch he saw from Imanaga. Everybody in between pretty much did likewise against Imanaga and reliever Chris Flexen. Meidroth went 3-for-5, as did Miguel Vargas. Lenyn Sosa settled for two hits and three RBIs while Edgar Quero collected four hits, just like Kyle Teel did the game before, in Tampa. Somebody explain to me again why these two aren’t in the same lineup at the same time. The only possible down note here concerns Sox starter Adrian Houser. Oh, Houser did great in picking up the win, giving up three runs in 6.2 innings (and he shouldn’t have been around to give up a three-run homer to ex-Sox Reese McGuire). That’s the thing, though—the better Houser pitches, as in a 6-2 record and 2.10 ERA in eleven starts, the more likely it is he gets traded to a contender. Oh, well. Sometimes, you have to take the sad with the good.