White Sox Defensive Miscues Spiral Into 13-3 Loss To Cubs

CHICAGO – Wind gusted out of Wrigley Field at 21 mph at first pitch, signaling a home-run filled Friday to begin the 2025 Crosstown Classic.

It played out that way early with three home runs in the first three innings, but the White Sox can't pin their 13-3 loss on the long ball.

They took a 2-0 lead in the first with a two-run home run by Miguel Vargas, but the Cubs were quick to respond. Facing starter Shane Smith, who entered the game with a 2.08 ERA, Cubs first baseman Michael Busch led off the second with a single and catcher Carson Kelly followed with a ground-rule double.

After a Dansby Swanson strikeout, Cubs rookie designated hitter Moisés Ballesteros hit a ground ball that was fielded cleanly by White Sox first baseman Andrew Vaughn. His throw home made for a bang-bang play, but Busch contorted his body to dodge the tag and score. That gave Ballesteros his first major league RBI.

In the next at-bat, Nico Hoerner hit a ground ball to White Sox rookie shortstop Chase Meidroth, whose throw was on line and beat Kelly to the plate. But catcher Matt Thaiss couldn’t catch it, allowing the tying run to score.

“I think that kind of changed the outcome there a little bit,” Thaiss said. “Shane was throwing well. It sucks that we didn't back him up today. I gotta make that play too. It kind of spiraled from there.”

Venable gave his perspective on both plays at home.

"Vaughn right there, trying to make a play. Infield in, that kind of sets the intention that we want to come home there," Venable said. "At the same time, we'll take an out there. So, talk about that one. And then the second one is just one of those plays where you know it just pops out of Matt’s glove there. Not a lot you can do. Chase did a great job, just fell short of executing."

Smith nearly got out of the inning with limited damage as he blew a fastball past Jon Berti for the second out. But on a 3-2 count, his slider drifted directly over the heart of the plate, and Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong kept it just inside the foul pole for a three-run home run.

"The guy can do a lot of things on the baseball field," Venable said of Crow-Armstrong. "Wish he had done a little bit less today. He's a really good player and obviously had a great game. Can beat you in a lot of ways."

A Kyle Tucker triple, followed by a Seiya Suzuki double made it a 6-2 Cubs lead, with all of their runs coming in the second inning. Due to the defensive miscues, Smith was credited with just one earned run in his start.

"He had good stuff. We just put him in a hole and I put him in a hole,” Thiass said. “... It's a shame that it kind of went out the way it did, but he got us five innings and threw the ball well."

In the other four innings, he performed much closer to his normal self. Smith’s final line read five innings with seven hits, six runs, one earned run, one walk and five strikeouts. Of his 89 pitches, 59 went for strikes.

“I just think it shows you how great he's been all year and how he's gonna continue to be great,” Thaiss said. “I'm excited to kind of watch him grow all year."

Vargas stayed hot in the third with a 406-foot blast, good for the first multi-home run game of his career to make it a 6-3 game. But from then on, the Cubs controlled the game. They added two runs in the sixth with a Crow-Armstrong single – Josh Rojas and Vaughn couldn’t track down the pop fly on a windy and sunny day – and a sacrifice fly from Seiya Suzuki. Two more Cubs scored in the seventh, thanks to another Crow-Armstrong single, which made it a 10-3 lead.

"Whether you played here or not, it's a tough environment and you saw that all over the field today on both sides," Venable said. "And that's something that was one of our big notes coming in and you're prepared for it and you talk about it and then you're just kind of vulnerable to what happens out there. And it's really tough for everybody."

That made for a huge day for the Cubs’ 23-year-old center fielder. Batting leadoff, Crow-Armstrong finished 4-for-5 with a home run, three singles, two runs and a career-high six RBI.

It was a rough day for the White Sox bullpen. Tyler Gilbert allowed a run before leaving the game with left knee soreness. Venable said the injury is similar to what Gilbert experienced in spring training. Brandon Eisert gave up two hits and one run in one third of an inning. Making his White Sox debut one day after being acquired for cash in a trade with the Astros, Miguel Castro allowed two runs in 1.1 innings.

The Cubs also scored three runs off Yoendrys Gomez, who the White Sox recently claimed off waivers from the Dodgers. Ballesteros notched his first major league hit off Gomez in the eighth, and Hoerner capped off the Cubs’ big day with an RBI to make it a 13-3 game.

"It's a really good lineup,” Thaiss said. “Biggest thing is getting ahead of those guys and putting them away when we have the chance to put them away. We just, you know, kind of lost that a little bit today."

The White Sox fell to 14-31 with this loss, and the Cubs improved to 26-19. The Crosstown Classic continues from Wrigley Field Saturday at 1:20 p.m. CT.

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