White Sox chase .500 in series vs Angels

The Chicago White Sox remain on the brink of a key milestone in their rebuilding process as they open a three-game road series against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.

Chicago entered Sunday within reach of a .500 record but missed the opportunity after a narrow 4-3 loss to the San Diego Padres in the series finale. Despite the setback, the White Sox (16-18) will have another chance to move closer to even as they face an Angels team struggling to find consistency.

Right-hander Davis Martin (4-1, 1.95 ERA) is scheduled to start for Chicago, matched up against Jose Soriano (5-1, 0.84 ERA) in a rematch of pitchers who have both enjoyed strong starts to the season.

The White Sox had won five straight games before Sunday’s loss and dominated the first two matchups against San Diego, outscoring the Padres 12-2. In the ninth inning of the finale, Chicago nearly mounted a comeback, but All-Star closer Mason Miller struck out Luisangel Acuna to end the threat.

While the loss prevented the team from reaching .500, manager Will Venable подчеркнув внутрішню впевненість у складі: “They believe in each other, they believe in themselves,” Venable said. “We’ve just got to continue to battle and, as we continue to just play good baseball, we continue to develop that belief. So, a good series for us.”

The White Sox are aiming to build on recent progress after posting the worst record in Major League Baseball since the start of the 2023 season (178-342). The club has not reached the .500 mark beyond the sixth game of a season since finishing 81-81 in 2022.

Meanwhile, the Angels are heading in the opposite direction. Los Angeles saw its latest loss Sunday, falling 5-1 to the New York Mets and dropping the rubber game of that series. The defeat continued a difficult stretch, with the Angels losing 12 of their last 14 games after opening the season 11-10.

The offensive struggles have been particularly evident. Los Angeles has scored three runs or fewer in 11 of those 14 games and failed to generate sustained pressure on Sunday, with no runner advancing past first base after an early RBI single from Jorge Soler.

“Offensively, we’ve all dialed in to what our approach is going to be,” Jo Adell said. “We’re just going to continue to show up and do what we do.”

Monday’s pitching matchup mirrors last week’s meeting between the two teams. Martin earned the win in that game, allowing one run over 5 2/3 innings in a 5-2 victory that sparked Chicago’s recent winning streak. He has now allowed two runs or fewer in each of his last five starts.

Soriano, meanwhile, took his first loss of the season in that contest, giving up three runs over five innings after beginning the year with a dominant stretch that included just one run allowed across his first six starts.

Historically, Martin holds a 2.66 ERA in four career starts against the Angels, while Soriano has posted a 1.93 ERA in three appearances against Chicago.

With momentum still on their side, the White Sox will look to take advantage of the Angels’ struggles and move closer to a turning point in their season.