Andrew Vaughn has two hits in win over Mets

Vargas put the finishing touches on an unexpected six-run outburst by taking Cleveland reliever Daniel Espino deep in the sixth inning. It was his 31st round-tripper of the year. He also picked up his 19th stolen base of the year as Chicago extended their AL Central division lead to 1.5 games with the victory. The 26-year-old former top prospect has emerged as a certifiable fantasy force this season, hitting .249/.357/.475 with 98 runs scored, 31 homers, 81 RBI and 19 steals across 653 plate appearances.

Melton gave up five hits, walked four and struck out three. It was the shortest outing of his MLB career so far. Melton threw 76 pitches and was removed with the bases-loaded and two outs in the third inning. He has a 7.24 ERA in three starts in September after posting a 1.86 ERA in his first 16 starts this year. Melton is lined up to face the White Sox on the road this weekend.

Smith was universally regarded as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, but he’s outperformed even the most lofty expectations, posting a microscopic 0.41 ERA and 32/10 K/BB ratio across 22 innings since being called up in mid-August. The 23-year-old southpaw continues to excel in relief and has looked like a true late-inning weapon for the upstart White Sox.

Burke delivered for Chicago in one of their most important games of the season, working into the late innings as a bulk reliever after Sean Newcomb worked a scoreless opening frame. He struck out four and only issued two walks. It was a much-needed bounce-back effort after getting tagged for seven runs over 1 1/3 innings by the Pirates his last time out. He’ll get the ball against the division-rival Tigers on Saturday.

Making his first start in eight days, Williams wriggled out of multiple jams, carrying an improbable shutout into the sixth inning before the White Sox finally broke through following his departure after a season-high 113 pitches. He finished with seven strikeouts, issued three walks and also hit a pair of batters. He’ll wrap up a two-start week with a favorable home outing against the Athletics on Sunday.

Skubal gave up only three singles and walked one in his first scoreless start for the Dodgers. He’s 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA and a 45/7 K/BB in 39 innings over his last six starts. He’ll face the Giants next time out.

De La Cruz tapped a ball 457 feet, but Phillips otherwise got a strikeout and two soft groundouts. He still might have a save or two in him during these final two weeks.

Lodolo allowed only three hits, but two of those were homers, and two of the four batters he walked came around to score. On the plus side, though he dropped to 3-5 with a 5.12 ERA, it is the first time in 19 starts this year that he’s completed seven innings. He’ll likely face the Cubs on Sunday.

He also picked up his 11th steal of the year. He’s been perfect there, so it sure would be nice if he’d been a little more aggressive. Since the start of 2024, he’s been caught just three times in 50 steal attempts.

The homer off Evan Phillips was his longest since his rookie season in 2023, when he hit one 467 feet off Xzavion Curry. De La Cruz has 27 homers in 131 games this season. His previous high was 25 in 160 games in 2024. He had 22 in 162 games last season.