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  "path": "/white-sox/2026/05/24/white-sox-500-momentum-san-francisco-seattle-road-trip",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-24T23:53:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://chicago.suntimes.com",
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  "textContent": "<p>SAN FRANCISCO — Take away a couple of big swings by their opponents, and the <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>White Sox</u></a> likely would have had a better shot at breaking even or better on their third West Coast road trip of the season.</p><p>Then again, take away a couple big innings for the Sox’ offense, and they just as easily could’ve been swept out of both Seattle and San Francisco.</p><p>That’s how it goes for .500 baseball teams, a category this still-rebuilding but freshly competitive Sox squad is getting used to, and clinging to, heading into Memorial Day after three years of cellar-dwelling incompetence.</p><p>Rafael Devers' grand slam off flamethrower Grant Taylor put the damper on the Sox' rubber-match on Sunday, as rookie starter Noah Schultz struggled in an 8-5 loss, dropping the Sox to 2-4 on their westerly sojourn.</p><p>\"There's some stuff that we didn't execute situationally where we we did before, so we'll continue to go to work on that stuff,\" manager Will Venable said. \"We've got a big homestand here with some divisional opponents, so just got to get to work. But [it was] a road trip in which we were a win away from feeling pretty good about it, but weren't able to get it.\"</p><p>Things started off promisingly for Sox leadoff man Chase Meidroth, who crushed the eighth pitch of his at-bat against Giants starter Robbie Ray for a home run to left-center.</p><div class=\"Enhancement\" data-align-center><div class=\"Enhancement-item\"> <div class=\"ExternalContent-wrapper\" > <div class=\"TweetUrl\"> <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Now THAT is how you start the day! <a href=\"https://t.co/hbVMdFfP7q\">pic.twitter.com/hbVMdFfP7q</a></p>— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/whitesox/status/2058642761084178518?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 24, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script> </div> </div> </div></div><p>But Schultz ran into early problems with a leadoff walk to Willy Adames, who scored on Casey Schmitt’s double. Devers then clanked another RBI double off the right-field bricks at Oracle Park. Schmitt later clubbed a two-run homer off Schultz in the third inning,</p><p>Luisangel Acuna’s sacrifice fly scored Derek Hill in the fourth, and San Fran pitchers walked the bases loaded to open the fifth. The Sox tied the game 4-4 on an RBI groundout from Colson Montgomery and a single from Edgar Quero.</p><p>Venable called it a day for Schultz (six runs on six hits with a walk and a strikeout) in the bottom of the fifth after serving up a double to Adames and plunking Luis Arraez for the second time in the game.</p><p>But Taylor, the Sox’ second-year reliever, didn’t fare any better, walking the bases loaded and serving up a mammoth grand slam to Devers. It was the first big league homer surrendered Taylor, whose fastball velocity was down a tick in San Francisco.</p><p>Miguel Vargas hit a solo shot, his 12th of the year, to narrow the gap for naught in the seventh inning, a day after <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2026/05/23/miguel-vargas-sun-popups-giants-grand-slam-white-sox\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>his two pop-up snafus sans-sunglasses set the stage for a Harrison Bader grand slam</u></a>. That salami broke a close game wide open on Saturday for the Giants as well. The Sox won Friday’s series opener on a nine-run fourth inning, but were <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2026/05/22/white-sox-giants-nine-run-inning-davis-martin\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>hitless the rest of the game</u></a>. </p><p>The only game they eked out in Seattle came courtesy of a ninth-inning rally capped by two <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2026/05/19/white-sox-mariners-rally-meidroth-benintendi\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>RBI infield singles</u></a>.</p><p>\"We’ve been playing a lot of really good baseball over the last few weeks,\" Taylor said. \"No one is hitting the panic button.\"</p><p>Nearly a third of their way through the calendar, the Sox have exceeded expectations at 26-26, good for second place in the wide-open American League Central, four and a half games back of Cleveland and holding a wild-card spot, for those looking far too prematurely at such things. And perhaps most surprisingly, the Sox are only two and a half games behind <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2026/05/22/cubs-lineup-slump-astros-craig-counsell-ian-happ-pete-crow-armstrong\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>the free-falling Cubs</u></a>.</p><p>After three straight springs that saw the Sox effectively out of contention before the charcoals were lit for holiday grilling, they're aiming to make a statement at home with their first matchups against the Twins and Tigers. </p><p>\"We all expected to be in this situation,\" Taylor said. \"We’ve been .500-plus the past few games — we’ve always been looking forward to that. We are trying to be in the postseason. We are trying to win games in October.</p><p>\"So to be at Memorial Day and be .500, that’s on the right track from where we were in the past,\" he said. \"Keep pushing and keep getting better.\"</p>",
  "title": "Grand slams sink White Sox’ West Coast road trip but not their momentum",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-25T00:21:57.348Z"
}