ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Chicago White Sox arrived at Angel Stadium on Friday needing two wins to surpass their 2024 total of 41 victories.
They quickly checked that off the list, taking the first two games of the series against the Los Angeles Angels. A chance for a sweep slipped away on Sunday when the Angels climbed out of a five-run hole and beat the Sox 8-5 on a walk-off three-run home run by Taylor Ward.
While Sunday was a gut punch for the Sox, there were still plenty of signs over the weekend of the strides the team has made and how they’ve put last year in the rearview mirror.
“No one had mentioned that we had surpassed (last year’s total), which I think speaks to the fact that we’ve all moved on and the people who were here last year have moved on,” first-year Sox manager Will Venable said before Sunday’s game. “It’s just not a thing anymore.
“Certainly positive as far as the progress of the organization from last year to this year. But we’ve got more games to play and more wins to try to get. We’re excited to do that.”
The Sox were off Monday. They’ll start the second half of the six-game trip on Tuesday in Seattle.
Here are three takeaways from the first leg of the journey after the three games against the Angels.
1. The power surge continued.
Chicago White Sox’s Josh Rojas hits a solo home run as Los Angeles Angels third baseman Yoán Moncada watches during the ninth inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Sox were clinging to a one-run lead Friday when Colson Montgomery came up with no runners on and two outs in the sixth inning.
He clobbered a first-pitch sinker from Angels starter Tyler Anderson for a mammoth 433-foot home run to center field.
The shortstop provided instant offense again in the first inning on Sunday, following an RBI single by Luis Robert Jr. with a three-run home run.
The Sox have produced staggering power numbers in the second half. They are tied for the major-league lead with 28 home runs following the All-Star Break after ranking 28th in the first half with 76.
The Sox hit four solo home runs in Friday’s 6-3 victory. Andrew Benintendi and Lenyn Sosa homered in the second inning, Montgomery’s came in the sixth and Josh Rojas capped the night with a home run in the ninth.
It was the second straight four-homer performance for the Sox, who had home runs by Kyle Teel, Montgomery, Miguel Vargas and Edgar Quero on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies at Rate Field.
“Guys are being aggressive and going in there with a good game plan,” Rojas said after Friday’s game. “The biggest thing I’ve been seeing is guys are sticking to the plan. Take the borderline pitches, the called strikes you don’t want, stay in your spot and be aggressive there.”
Montgomery, in particular, has been on a tear. All seven of his home runs have come since the All-Star break.
“He’s been outstanding, continues to take really good swings,” Venables said after Sunday’s game.
2. Starter Aaron Civale is in a groove.
Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Aaron Civale throws to the plate during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Aaron Civale surrendered an infield hit and a walk to begin the fourth inning Saturday.
He said his mindset during the jam was, “Just not to change.”
Civale struck out Ward looking. Jo Adell lined out to Montgomery at shortstop. And former Sox Yoán Moncada struck out swinging.
“They’re competitive at-bats leading up to that point,” Civale said. “Just continue to attack and continue to stay with what we were doing and make adjustments as we see.
“You can think about hitters’ aggressiveness with runners in scoring position. So trying to use that to your advantage a little bit. At the end of the day, you’re trying to read what they’re doing and make the best pitch based on that.”
Civale kept making his best pitch throughout the outing. He teamed up with relievers Brandon Eisert and Jordan Leasure for a one-hitter in a 1-0 win.
Civale allowed the one hit, struck out eight and walked two in 6 1/3 innings.
It was the first one-hitter for the Sox since May 19, 2023, against Kansas City and their first 1-0 victory at Angel Stadium since Sept. 22, 1993.
Civale has pitched 17 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run over his last three starts, lowering his ERA from 5.30 to 3.56.
“This game is momentum-based, just working on a lot of things in between,” Civale said. “It’s nice to see some things clicking on the field.
“The results are the results, it’s something you can’t really control. It’s nice to have them, but at the end of the day the most important thing is covering innings and giving the team the chance to win.”
3. Miguel Vargas’ setback is the latest injury hurdle.
White Sox second baseman Chase Meidroth is hit by a pitch to his right hand in the fifth inning against the Phillies at Rate Field on July 30, 2025, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
The Sox learned just before Saturday’s game that Vargas would be unavailable after suffering a left oblique strain. The third baseman/first baseman went on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to Saturday) on Sunday.
“For an oblique, we’re not expecting it to be as long as some of the other ones,” Venable said Sunday morning. “But it’s still an oblique, it’s still sensitive. We want to make sure we take care of it and progress him slowly.”
The Sox had to navigate the final two games of the series without Vargas. Second baseman/shortstop Chase Meidroth didn’t start in any of the three games (he made an appearance as a defensive replacement late Sunday) as he recovered after getting hit by a pitch on the right thumb on Wednesday against the Phillies.
Still, the club won its fourth series since coming back from the break.
“I hope we get out of here feeling good about the fact we played a good series against a good team, and specifically for our pitching staff,” Venable said on Sunday. “They did a really nice job. Especially (Saturday).
“We’ve just got to keep going. That’s what we do, we’ve done it all year. Tough loss (Sunday), that’s part of the game.”