Chicago White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery summed up his team’s mentality in one word after their 3-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday: “Relentlessness.”
That attitude is serving the White Sox well, as they are currently one game up on the Cleveland Guardians for first place in the American League Central after winning five of their last six.
They will look to rely on that same mindset as they begin a three-game set against the AL West-leading Texas Rangers on Monday in Arlington, Texas.
Facing someone Montgomery called “a true competitor” in Blue Jays starter Trey Yesavage on Sunday, the White Sox hitters were ready for a battle at the plate.
“We knew we had to be disciplined with our plan,” Montgomery said.
“We just tried to stay positive,” he added. “And I think we just pulled through.”
Montgomery was a vital part of the 3-0 victory, hitting his team-leading 24th home run off Yesavage in the sixth inning.
There’s no secret ingredient to the surprise turnaround by the White Sox, but Montgomery credits the youth of the team for their day-to-day camaraderie.
“We’re all young, we’re all pretty inexperienced,” he said, “so we’re all just staying together.”
Erick Fedde (5-6, 4.15 ERA) will start for Chicago in Monday’s opener. Fedde’s last appearance came in relief on July 11, but he picked up the win after throwing four shutout innings in a 1-0 win against the visiting Athletics.
Fedde is 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA in three career appearances (two starts) versus the Rangers.
Texas power-hitting outfielder Wyatt Langford, who homered in the team’s 8-5 road loss to Atlanta on Sunday, has been slowed down only by the injury bug in 2026.
Langford has played in only 47 of the Rangers’ 99 games this season due to quad and forearm injuries in April and a hamstring strain in late June, but he’s not allowed the stop-start nature of his availability to throw off his rhythm. Seven of Langford’s 10 homers this season have come in his last 16 games, over which time he’s hitting .368 (25-for-68) with 17 RBIs.
Texas comes home after dropping two of three to the Braves in their first series after the break.
The Rangers will turn to veteran Jacob deGrom (7-5, 3.49) on the mound. The right-hander is coming off a health scare, as he was scratched from his last scheduled start on July 12 with a glute injury. Fortunately for Texas, their ace will avoid a stint on the injured list as he gets ready to face Chicago.
Texas manager Skip Schumaker said he waited to make the decision to start deGrom until he threw a pain-free bullpen session over the weekend, saying, “You want to check every box.”
“His health is good after the break, which is great news,” the manager said.
The last time deGrom took the mound, he had a no-decision in the Rangers’ 8-3 win over the visiting Los Angeles Angels on July 7, giving up two runs and striking out seven in five innings.
The White Sox are one of just five teams that deGrom has not beaten in his 13-year career. A five-time All-Star and two-time winner of the National League Cy Young Award, he has a 0-0 record and 1.80 ERA in three previous starts against Chicago.
–Field Level Media
