Takeaways From White Sox Series Against Twins

MINNEAPOLIS – Thursday's 3-0 win marked a number of firsts for the White Sox.

Starting pitcher Shane Smith earned his first MLB win. Third baseman Miguel Vargas hit his first home run of the season. Reliever Brandon Eisert notched his first career save, which was also the first save by a White Sox reliever in 2025. After losing the first two games of the series, the White Sox won their first game at Target Field after an 14-loss stretch in Minneapolis. And due to the rain, it was their first seven-inning game of the year.

With a 6-19 record, the White Sox now head to Sacramento for a three-game series against the Athletics. But before looking too far ahead, here are three takeaways from the Twins series.

1. Smith learning to trust his stuff

Rookie right-hander Shane Smith struck out a career-high seven batters across five scoreless innings in Thursday's 3-0 win over the Twins. He attacked hitters with his full inventory of pitches, beating the Twins with his fastball in the zone and causing chases with his changeup, slider and curveball.

Through five starts to begin his MLB career, Smith has a 2.30 ERA. He's beginning to learn that his stuff is good enough to compete at a high level.

"I think I can be as aggressive as I want to be," Smith said. "Whether it's soft stuff in the zone, hard in the zone. I think I can command it well enough that I'm not going to get hurt a lot of the time. I know I'm probably going to get hurt after saying that, but I just have a lot of confidence in what I'm doing."

2. Starting rotation in flux

The White Sox lost a key member of the pitching staff when veteran lefty Martín Pérez hit the 60-day injured list with a left flexor strain. He had a 3.15 ERA through 20 innings, including three starts with two earned runs or fewer. Venable said he expects Pérez to pitch again this summer, but it certainly won't be for another two months.

Right-hander Bryse Wilson got the first start in Pérez's absence, though he was on a pitch count of around 60 pitches. As a result, Wednesday was essentially a bullpen game for the White Sox, who used seven pitchers to cover nine innings. Wilson went 2.2 innings and allowed five hits and one earned run, along with three walks and two strikeouts.

Wilson has starting experience in previous seasons with the Brewers, but the White Sox may look to make a free agent signing or promote a minor leaguer to help replace Pérez. They're getting creative ahead of Friday's game against the Athletics in Sacramento. Scott Merkin of MLB.com reported that left-hander Tyler Gilbert will start the game as an opener, and the plan is for right-hander Sean Burke to follow him.

3. Early returns on Vargas' adjustments

Miguel Vargas' batting average fell to .139 through his first 22 games heading into the Twins series. But he recently made an adjustment that the White Sox hope helps to spark the offense. Vargas' stance looks a bit different now, holding his hands higher and almost in line with his chin. He's also trying to be more aggressive against fastballs.

Vargas ended the Twins series on a high note, going 2-for-4 on Wednesday's game and 1-for-3 with his first home run of the season in Thursday's win. On a 2-2 count, Vargas drove a low fastball 422 feet to left field with a 105.3 mph exit velocity.

"The guys here help me, help me out a lot. We’ve been working through where I can be more on path through the fastball," Vargas said. "And I think they’ve been helping me a lot and we’ve been working. It’s good to see good results."

1. Smith learning to trust his stuff

2. Starting rotation in flux

3. Early returns on Vargas' adjustments

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