Huge Seventh Inning Powers Chicago White Sox To 9-3 Win Over Philadelphia Phillies

CHICAGO –– The final game before the MLB trade deadline came with a well-rounded effort from the White Sox in a 9-3 win over the Phillies at Rate Field.

After a rain delay of three hours and 35 minutes, the White Sox totaled four home runs and 17 hits, one shy of their season-high. On the mound, rookie right-hander Mike Vasil provided four shutout innings after a solid start from veteran left-hander Tyler Alexander.

Kyle Teel, Colson Montgomery and Edgar Quero became the third rookie trio in White Sox history to hit three home runs in a game and the first since Joe Borchard, Ross Gload and Wilson Valdez on Sept. 26, 2004 against the Kansas City Royals

“It was special,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “And not just those guys, but throughout the lineup tonight was a great offensive effort. Yeah, and to have those young guys perform how they've been performing is awesome.”

Though the White Sox are still just 40-69 on the season –– one away from matching last year’s total –– they’ve looked like a new team during an 8-4 run since the All-Star break. Part of that is due to the midseason promotions of several rookies, but also a significant step forward from Miguel Vargas, the addition of Adrian Houser and a solid starting rotation.

Teel is an example of that, and he sees the group coming together to play better baseball of late.

"It feels amazing. There's so much talent on this team,” Teel said. “And to be able to positively impact this game is important to me and it's important to the guys. So it's a great feeling.”

Teel opened the scoring in the second inning with his second career home run and first at Rate Field. He connected with an 85.9 mph cutter at the top of the zone from Phillies starter Taijuan Walker and drove it 366 feet with a 107.8 mph exit velocity.

Both of Teel’s home runs have come since July 23, despite making his debut on June 6. He credited the power surge to doing more challenging work in the cage.

“He's in a good groove,” Venable said. “I think you're right, just part of the adjustment and him getting comfortable. You know, just being on time. He's really bought into being on time, being ready for fastballs and it's paying off.”

Montgomery stayed hot with his fifth home run in the last eight games. He hit a home run to left center in Tampa, but he’s mostly had success pulling the ball for home runs. On Wednesday, he waited back for a splitter on the outside corner and crushed it to left center field for a solo shot.

Montgomery explained Tuesday he switched to a torpedo bat in Tampa and hit a home run in his first game using it. Since the All-Star break, he’s raised his OPS from .704 to .827 and has 15 RBIs in 11 games.

The White Sox made a late change Wednesday morning, scratching starting pitcher Adrian Houser due to a potential trade. Manager Will Venable turned to long reliever Tyler Alexander instead, and the left-hander was tremendous to start.

Alexander began his outing with 3.1 hitless innings and just one walk. Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper broke up the no-hitter with a double that just barely stayed fair down the right field line, sparking a rally. Nick Castellanos drove him in with a single in the next at-bat to tie the game, and Brandon Marsh followed with the Phillies’ third straight hit. That was it for Alexander, who finished with 3.1 innings, three hits, two earned runs, one walk, three strikeouts and 49 pitches.

But at that point, the White Sox and Phillies were still knotted up at two runs apiece. That lasted until the seventh, when the White Sox exploded for seven runs, their most in an inning since Sept. 26, 2024 against the Angels.

It began with a Josh Rojas double, followed by three straight singles from Tauchman, Sosa and Andrew Benintendi. Vargas broke the game open with a three-run homer that gave the White Sox a 6-2 lead.

Teel and Robert reignited the rally with back-to-back singles, and Quero put the game away for good with an opposite-field, three-run homer –– the third of his career.

“I thought all day, these guys took really good at bats,” Venable said. “I thought we hit a lot of hard balls, you know, against Walker there and you know, it finally paid off for us and to string those together like that's a total group effort, you know, a kind of a 9-on-1 attack, and those guys did a great job.

Meanwhile, Vasil had one of his best outings of the season. He held a talented Phillies lineup scoreless across four innings with three hits, no walks and three strikeouts. Despite not having Houser, who’s been the White Sox best starter for about two months, Vasil and Alexander combined for 7.1 innings with just two earned runs.

“Just what they've been doing the whole year, being competitive in the zone,” Venable said. “Alexander just continues to go right at hitters and is able to use his fastball and his offspeed stuff very well. Vasil the same thing. some really good curveballs tonight, which we've seen. So those guys, just can't say enough about how important they've been to us.”

One downside to Wednesday was that Chase Meidroth left the game after being hit by pitch on the right thumb, but X-rays were negative and he’s considered day to day. Venable said Meidroth will get scanned again, and they’ll see how he feels coming out of Thursday’s off day.

The White Sox roster already went through a change Wednesday morning, with Austin Slater being traded to the New York Yankees for minor league pitcher Gage Ziehl. And as the trade deadline approaches at 5 p.m. CT, it wouldn’t be surprising to see another move.

Luis Robert Jr. has been the subject of trade rumors this season, and his stock may be rising after a 13-for-32 (.406) stretch since the All-Star break with two home runs and eight RBIs. After a three-hit game Wednesday, he said he doesn't know if he'll be traded, so he just tries not to think about it.

"I can’t control that," Robert said. "It’s in the hands of the team."

But for now, the White Sox are enjoying the group that’s in place.

“I think this is a great team,” Teel said. “Like I said before, we have a lot of talent, but we also got a lot of fight.”

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