Surging Jays look to extract payback on White Sox
The surging Toronto Blue Jays have won eight straight and 11 of 13 as they begin a three-game series against the host Chicago White Sox on Monday.
The American League East leaders will aim to keep rolling and get revenge on a White Sox team that handed Toronto its most recent series defeat two weeks ago.
Bo Bichette homered Sunday to help the Blue Jays to a 3-2 win against the Los Angeles Angels to cap a sweep of a seven-game homestand that started with a four-game visit from the New York Yankees.
Left fielder Davis Schneider drove home the go-ahead run with an RBI single in the sixth.
'I feel like just the vibes in the clubhouse have been really good,' Schneider said. 'We've got a lot of good guys in there. I feel like it starts in there and we bring it out on the field together.'
Chicago fans are gearing up for the home debut of rookie shortstop Colson Montgomery, who helped the White Sox earn their ninth series victory this season during a three-game set at Colorado over the weekend. That matches the club's series victory total from the 2024 season.
Called up Friday from Triple-A Charlotte, Montgomery went 5-for-10 with a pair of RBIs as the White Sox took two of three against the Rockies. Montgomery said he 'settled in pretty quick' after his first defensive chance during Friday's victory.
Another newcomer finding his stride: Grant Taylor, who earned his third save of the season Friday on the heels of struggles against the host Los Angeles Dodgers earlier in the week.
'The phone rings, you hear your name, and it's your save opportunity -- that adrenaline rush is just insane,' Taylor said.
Fellow rookie Sean Burke (4-7, 4.03 ERA) will get the call for the White Sox on Monday as Chicago aims for another series win versus the Blue Jays. The White Sox won two of three in Toronto from June 20-22.
Burke has been especially sharp over his past three starts. Although he has just one victory to show for it, the rookie has scattered five runs -- two earned -- and 19 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings during that span.
He took a no-decision against the Dodgers on Wednesday, spacing one run and six hits in six innings.
Toronto will counter with fellow righty Jose Berrios (4-3, 3.64). A longtime nemesis of the White Sox during his five-plus seasons with the Minnesota Twins, Berrios continued his dominance against Chicago on June 21, allowing two hits and an unearned run over 7 2/3 innings of a game Toronto won 7-1.
Berrios delivered seven shutout innings to defeat the Boston Red Sox in his next start but was roughed up in Wednesday's no-decision against the New York Yankees. He allowed six runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Berrios is 15-6 with a 3.01 ERA in 26 career starts versus the White Sox with 162 strikeouts over 161 1/3 innings.
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