During an eventful game, Chicago White Sox starter Davis Martin found himself in a curious situation when a baseball rolled near the mound. He tossed it toward second base, leading to Chase Meidroth stepping on the bag and throwing to first. It was momentarily ruled a double play in the sixth inning against the Houston Astros. However, a review showed the batter, Isaac Paredes, was hit by a pitch. The initial call was overturned, resulting in Astros having runners on first and second with no outs.
The inning soon spiraled out of control for the Sox, with Houston racking up eight runs. This led to a 9-5 defeat in front of 28,657 fans at Rate Field. The Sox had been leading 5-0 before the sixth but exited trailing by three.
Manager Will Venable expressed frustration, stating, “Just couldn’t get any outs. They did a good job putting the ball in play.” The Astros capitalized on the reversed call, starting with a single from Jose Altuve that loaded the bases. LaMonte Wade Jr. hit a single, driving in one run. Christian Walker then hit a three-run double, shrinking the Sox lead to one.
Reliever Bryan Hudson struck out Lucas Spence, but Cam Smith’s two-run homer pushed the Astros ahead. Altuve later added an RBI with an infield hit against Seranthony Domínguez, and Wade drew a bases-loaded walk, extending Houston’s lead to 8-5.
Davis Martin, reflecting on the inning, admitted, “It’s really hard, it’s unacceptable. The tone-setting of the sixth inning was bad on my part, which kind of leads to the bigger inning.” Despite the tough outing, Martin showed resilience, looking forward to future opportunities on the diamond.
Braden Montgomery stood out in the loss, achieving a career-high with three hits. Although the Sox fell short, they remained 1½ games ahead of Cleveland in the American League Central.
The game had initially been all White Sox, with Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti hitting two batters, including Meidroth, leading to a three-run first inning. Sox were hit four times by Astros pitchers during the game. Meidroth contributed an RBI double in the fifth, further extending the lead before the disastrous sixth inning.
Despite chances with runners in scoring position, the Sox struggled offensively with a 2-for-16 finish. Reflecting on the missed opportunities, Venable noted, “Today five runs wasn’t enough. We had to figure out a way to score a few more.” The Astros sent 14 batters to the plate during their explosive inning, marking the worst the Sox have allowed this year.
Martin’s pitching stats included allowing four runs on six hits, three strikeouts, and no walks over five-plus innings. Hudson, a reliable reliever for Chicago, allowed four runs on three hits with a strikeout and a walk in two-thirds of an inning, taking the loss.
Martin shared confidence in his pitching despite the outcome, “I’m really happy with the stuff, with getting out of jams…continue to press, continue to get better, and finish off innings more effectively next time.”