Youth Movement

Rookie lefthander Hagen Smith opened for the White Sox in Houston yesterday, throwing three shutout innings. Then, it was veterans Jordan Hicks and Sean Newcomb (2.1 innings, two runs); and rookie David Sandlin (1.1 innings, no runs), leading to second-year closer Grant Taylor, who went 2.1 innings, giving up one unearned run in a 6-3 Sox win. Left fielder Sam Antonacci was, well, Sam Antonacci. He led off the game with a walk and scored on a Munetaka Murakami sacrifice fly. In the third, Antonacci singled in two runs. The 23-year old converted infielder also walked and managed to get hit by a pitch. Fellow rookies Murakami scored two runs while Braden Montgomery and Chase Meidroth both had two hits and a run scored; Tristan Peters chipped in with a nice sacrifice bunt. Plus, Kyle Teel looked good swinging the bat. Last but not least, the fog at the plate cleared, if only momentarily, for sophomore Colson Montgomery, who hit a homerun to dead centerfield in the fourth, on an 0-2 pitch no less. Oh, more, please. Can the Sox win again today, even as they face Hunter Brown, who had their number with a 2-0 record and 1.38 ERA in two starts against them in the regular season? Well, you can’t say the visitors lack playoff experience anymore, so, that’s a start to build on.