With the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers both losing earlier tonight, the White Sox had a golden opportunity not only to return to .500, but to hold first place in the AL Central outright as well. Granted, it would've only been May 5, but by White Sox standards of staying power, that's the last week of September.
And the Angels were seemingly in the mood to cooperate at both ends of the game. Sam Aldegheri dug a 2-0 hole thanks to control problems during a 32-pitch first inning, and then Ryan Zeferjahn plunked and walked the bases loaded while leaving a handful of sliders over the heart of the plate in the finale.
This time, the White Sox couldn't connect, with Edgar Quero grounding out harmlessly to strand the ninth, 10th and 11th runners of the evening. A .500 record will have to wait a few days, although first place can somehow theoretically be attained earlier.
Zeferjahn entered in the eighth to face Munetaka Murakami after a two-out error allowed Tristan Peters to reach, and for a brief moment, it appeared as though Munetaka Murakami would take the story of the 2026 White Sox to another level with a two-run go-ahead homer. Instead, his attempt to turn and burn on Ryan Zeferjahn's first-pitch slider hooked foul (and would've been caught in front of the foul pole had it stayed fair), and he swung over a slider in the dirt for strike three.
Still, the White Sox had an even juicier opportunity in the ninth. Sam Antonacci led off by happily absorbing a pitch to the trunk, stole second as Chase Meidroth struck out, then advanced to third when the throw dribbled into center field. Zeferjahn then walked Miguel Vargas on four pitches to bring Colson Montgomery to the plate with the tying and go-ahead runs aboard.
But while Montgomery was able to walk it off last week, he fouled back a middle-middle 2-0 sinker, then took another one on the corner to even the count. Zeferjahn then chose a sweeper for the first time in the battle and left it outer half and elevated, but Montgomery could only tip it into Sebastian Rivero's mitt for strike three.
Jarred Kelenic also swung under an elevated 2-1 sweeper with two outs, but he was at least able to coax a walk to salvage the plate appearance. It just happened to bring Quero to the plate, and his 4-3 locked in the 4-3 score while lowering his average to .154.
Because the Sox couldn't close the gap, Erick Fedde dropped to 0-4 on the season. Solo shots in baseball generally won't kill a starter, but it's a little different when said starter allows three over 4⅔ innings.
After the White Sox worked over Aldegheri for two first-inning runs one base at a time -- a Meidroth single, walks by Vargas and Montgomery, a flared single by Randal Grichuk and a sac fly for Quero -- the Angels made simpler work of immediately getting those runs back. Mike Trout whipped a decently located 1-2 sweeper over the left-field wall two batters in, and Jorge Soler destroyed a first-pitch cutter to even the score.
Fedde settled in, but for the second straight start, he couldn't close a middle inning. Zach Neto saw five straight pitches up and away, and he hooked a sweeper that wasn't supposed to be there well out to left center to put the Angels ahead. Fedde then walked Trout, who scored from first when Nolan Schanuel roped another ineffective sweeper into the corner, making it a 4-2 game.
Both bullpens largely held the line, even though neither starter could finish five. Tyler Davis, Jordan Leasure and Bryan Hudson faced the minimum over 3⅓ scoreless innings, while the only damage allowed by the Los Angeles pen was a seventh-inning solo shot by Meidroth. They left opportunities for more, but the White Sox couldn't convert.
Bullet points:
*The Angels went 0-for-1 with runners in scoring position, only stranding three. The White Sox were 1-for-7.
*Murakami wasn't in the starting lineup, but he pinch-hit for Luisangel Acuña in the sixth and shot a single through the left side.
*Grichuk batted fourth and Quero batted fifth, as the White Sox's lineup against left-handed pitching still leaves a little to be desired. Grichuk was swapped out for Kelenic, but if Will Venable doesn't want to use both catchers unless absolutely necessary, then Quero probably should be shunted to the bottom of the order.
