TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 \u2018\u2018Offensive juggernaut\u2019\u2019 was not a phrase often uttered in the same sentence as \u2018\u2018White Sox\u2019\u2019 before the All-Star break \u2014 at least not without a tongue planted firmly in cheek.
\nBut that\u2019s the only way to describe MLB\u2019s hottest offense coming out of the break, which has powered the Sox to a season-high four-game winning streak.<\/p>\n
A day after the Sox completed a weekend sweep of the Pirates that saw them rack up 27 runs, they overpowered the Rays 8-3 in their latest dominant effort.
\nBrooks Baldwin got it started by ripping a three-run home run against Rays starter Shane Baz in the second inning, scoring rookies Kyle Teel and Colson Montgomery in front of him.
\nThen Luis Robert Jr. continued his recent onslaught with a 110 mph two-run single in the third to score Andrew Benintendi and Chase Meidroth, who went 4-for-5 with three doubles. Robert also swatted a 107 mph rocket for a single in the fifth to further tantalize trade-deadline suitors.<\/p>\n
Montgomery, who turned a smooth double play in his second consecutive start at third base, added his sixth career RBI on a fielder\u2019s choice. And Miguel Vargas smacked a two-run bomb in the fifth \u2014 his 12th homer of the season \u2014 to provide more cushion for Sox starter Sean Burke, who labored on a sweltering night. Burke gave up two unearned runs in four innings with four walks and five strikeouts.<\/p>\n
The Sox remain cellar-dwellers in most major offensive categories on the season, but you couldn\u2019t tell that from their last four games. Their 45 hits, 18 doubles and 35 runs since the break were the most in MLB before the schedule Monday was completed.
\nChalk up the surge to a more aggressive approach on fastballs early in the count, manager Will Venable said.
\n\u2018\u2018We\u2019ve been missing slug all year,\u2019\u2019 he said. \u2018\u2018It\u2019s really nice to have. That\u2019s how you score runs in bunches.\u2019<\/p>\n
Left-hander Martin Perez is on pace to return nearly four months after he was sidelined with an injury to his pitching elbow.
\nPerez will face batters this week and might head out on a rehab assignment Aug. 2, he said in the visitors\u2019 clubhouse at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees\u2019 spring-training home that\u2019s serving as the Rays\u2019 home this season because of hurricane damage to Tropicana Field.
\nPerez went 1-1 with a 3.15 ERA in four starts for the Sox before he went down in April. His arm will be needed as several members of the Sox\u2019 young rotation approach career highs in innings pitched and as general manager Chris Getz floats right-handers Adrian Houser and Aaron Civale in trade talks.<\/p>\n
The tunes of legendary Sox organist Nancy Faust soon will be available beyond the ballpark.
\n\u2018\u2018Nancy Faust at the Game\u2019\u2019 will be released on CD and digital formats next week via Artistic Integrity Records and the \u2018\u2018My Baseball History Podcast,\u2019\u2019 nearly five decades after the collection of her Comiskey Park and Chicago Stadium stylings was pressed on vinyl.
\nIn a social-media post, Faust called it \u2018\u2018simply unimaginable that this would ever again see the light of day.\u2019\u2019
\nFaust has returned to play at select home games this season, with her next Rate Field performances scheduled for Aug. 9-10.<\/p>\n
The White Sox offense has been on a tear, with a season-high four-game winning streak and a plethora of hits, doubles, and runs. The team’s aggressive approach on fastballs early in the count has been a key factor in their success. With the return of Martin Perez and the emergence of young players, the Sox are looking to make a push in the second half of the season.<\/p>\n
Q: What is the White Sox’s current winning streak?
\nA: The White Sox have a season-high four-game winning streak.
\nQ: Who has been a key contributor to the White Sox offense?
\nA: Luis Robert Jr. has been on a tear, with multiple hits and home runs in recent games.
\nQ: When is Martin Perez expected to return from injury?
\nA: Perez is expected to face batters this week and may head out on a rehab assignment Aug. 2.
\nQ: What is the name of Nancy Faust’s upcoming album?
\nA: The album is called "Nancy Faust at the Game" and will be released on CD and digital formats next week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Introduction to the White Sox Offense TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 \u2018\u2018Offensive juggernaut\u2019\u2019 was not a phrase often uttered in the same sentence as \u2018\u2018White Sox\u2019\u2019 before the All-Star break \u2014 at least not without a tongue planted firmly in cheek. But that\u2019s the only way to describe MLB\u2019s hottest offense coming out of the break, which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24996,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-24994","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/f3ff996\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/4394x2508+0+0\/resize\/1461x834!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F40%2Fdb%2F9024c8b146df8f90dd329a3b3641%2F2226388803.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24994"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24994"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24994\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24997,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24994\/revisions\/24997"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}