Chicago

White Sox

Castillo gave up four hits, walked three and struck out two. He came in as the bulk pitcher, but lasted less than three innings. Castillo has a 10.00 ERA over his last five appearances. He has a 5.67 ERA this season. He’s lined up to face the Tigers at home next week.

Teel did go 2-for-2 off the bench last night. His previous four starts since coming off the IL had all come batting ninth. With Teel batting second, Miguel Vargas and Munetaka Murakami are sliding down one spot to third and fourth, respectively. Braden Montgomery, who has typically hit fifth and sixth since his callup, is batting ninth for the first time.

Meidroth got the game started with a bang, crushing Matthew Liberatore’s very first pitch for a 398-foot (103.7-mph EV) leadoff home run. He then led off the third inning with a 391-foot (103.9-mph EV) solo shot that tied the game at 2-2. The 25-year-old infielder is having a solid season at the dish, slashing .269/.345/.402 with 14 homers, 53 RBI and three stolen bases in 591 plate appearances.

Kay walked one and struck out two batters in the ballgame. The Cardinals scratched out a run against him in each of his first three innings of work. The 31-year-old southpaw got just one swing and miss on 67 pitches in the contest, posting an uninspiring CSW of 21 percent. He’ll try to bounce back as he carries a 4.53 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and a 118/51 K/BB ratio (145 innings) into Wednesday’s critical divisional matchup against the Guardians in Cleveland.

Murakami hasn’t been a platoon bat for the White Sox this season, but he has slashed just .179/.331/.368 with six homers, 18 RBI and a 54/26 K/BB ratio over 145 plate appearances against southpaws this season, so maybe this will be a trend going forward. Miguel Vargas will shift over to first base with Colson Montgomery covering the hot corner and Luisangel Acuna drawing a start at shortstop and batting ninth against Cardinals’ left-hander Matthew Liberatore.

Vargas drew a leadoff walk in the fourth inning, swiped second base and took third on a throwing error, but the White Sox couldn’t cash him in from there. The 26-year-old is having an outstanding season at the dish, slashing .248/.359/.477 with 30 homers, 79 RBI and 17 stolen bases — career highs across the board.

Fedde struck out three batters on the night and didn’t allow a base on balls. He took over in the third inning and worked into the eighth. He served up a solo homer to Oneil Cruz in the fourth inning, then exited with a man on second and one out in the eighth and that runner ultimately scored against the bullpen. Fedde got six whiffs on 81 pitches on the night, posting an uninspiring CSW of 22 percent. He’ll bring a respectable 3.97 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and a 91/48 K/BB ratio (133 2/3 innings) into Tuesday’s matchup against the Guardians in Cleveland.

After starting three consecutive games behind the dish for the White Sox, Teel will get a night off on Thursday. Since returning from the injured list, he has hit .214 (3-for-14) with a pair of homers and four RBI in 15 plate appearances. Jake Rogers will do the catching for the White Sox and bat ninth against Pirates’ right-hander Jared Jones on Thursday evening in Chicago.

Smith threw three innings for the first time in a scoreless outing Sunday against the Pirates, but that only took him 35 pitches. His high pitch count as a major leaguer was 48 over two innings in his debut on Aug. 9. So, one imagines the White Sox will be very happy if he can get through three again Thursday, Two is probably the better bet. Erick Fedde will be available to go long behind him.

The White Sox again failed to score for Martin, who pitched five scoreless innings as the club was shut out by the Astros last Thursday. Martin was successful despite striking out just one and giving up nine hard-hit balls. He’ll take a 9-6 record and a 4.15 ERA into his next start against the Guardians.