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USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Andrew Vaughn is proof the White Sox were poison all along
The Milwaukee Brewers MVP may be a pitcher they traded in June. Aaron Civale is a useful veteran starter. In 2024, his arrival ahead of the trade deadline helped push the Brewers to an NL Central title. But his numbers dipped in 2025. With new arrivals Quinn Priester, Chad Priester and Jacob Misiorowski all surging in starting roles, he was moved to the bullpen. That led to a trade request and eventual exile to the American League's worst team, the Chicago White Sox. Civale's trade return seemed roughly in line for a 30-year-old, soon-to-be free agent with a 4.91 ERA. Andrew Vaughn was batting .189 when the Sox demoted him to AAA Charlotte -- the baseball equivalent of letting gas station sushi spoil. That hadn't fixed his swing; the former third overall pick and top 20 prospect in all of baseball was hitting only .211 in the minors when Chicago swapped him, with cash, for Civale. In the month-plus since, Civale has improved slightly to claim his spot in the starting rotation. Vaughn has turned into prime Manny Ramirez. Vaughn powered the Brewers to a 9-3 win over the Chicago Cubs Tuesday night, dispatching Milwaukee's toughest competition -- and the league's third-best record -- with three hits, a grand slam, and six RBI. In 15 games with his new team, Vaughn is batting .375 with five home runs and 19 RBI. He'd hit five home runs with 19 RBI in 48 games with the White Sox this summer. Extrapolate Vaughn's production as a Brewer to a 162-game season and you've got a 54-home run, 227 RBI monster at the plate. Extrapolate Milwaukee's record since acquiring him and you've got a 130-win team. It's such a blistering start in a small sample size that, had it happened before the All-Star Game, MLB would have called him up to the big game (it tends to happen with Milwaukee phenoms). Importantly, Vaughn is showing up against the team's the Brewers likely playoff competition. He had six hits and seven RBI in Milwaukee's six-game season sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has four hits, two home runs and seven RBI in only two games against the rival Cubs. A player no one was afraid of in the minors has suddenly become the National League's boogeyman. Will it last? Almost certainly not at this pace, but Vaughn could remain the mitochondria for a Brewer offense in need of a powerhouse. Vaughn was the third overall pick in 2019's amateur draft after tearing the cover off the ball at the University of California. He batted .389 with 38 home runs and 113 RBI in 106 games his final two collegiate seasons. He was one of top-16 prospects in 2019 and 2020 before his 2021 callup. He's been mostly below average in the big leagues; his baserunning is unremarkable, he strikes out about 3.5 times more than he walks and his defensive wins above replacement (WAR) in five seasons is a robust -6.9. Still, the 27-year-old's batting talent remains; his strikeout rate has dropped from 22.3 percent to 12.3. The Brewers have the baserunning and defense around him to accept his flaws. Vaughn is the latest low-cost addition to punch up the offense in the vein of Rowdy Tellez, Mark Canha, Darin Ruf or Daniel Vogelbach. He's got a higher pedigree than any of those players, has played a better 15-game stretch of baseball than anyone in the mix and, importantly, comes with the excuse "I dunno, maybe he just had to get the White Sox stink off him to be good again." Andrew Vaughn will not keep up his MVP pace. He will not finish the season with his projected 7.5 WAR. He will not have more RBI than games played. But he could provide the home run power a Brewer team that scores more by stringing hits than hitting bombs could use. He's already helped transform a team that was 25-26 when it dealt from him and hanging on to a 13 percent postseason chance into the team atop the NL Central with a 64-43 record and a 97 percent chance to make it seven playoff appearances in eight years in Milwaukee. Vaughn will fall off and the Brewers have the talent to win even if he's batting .225 the rest of the way. If he somehow keeps this up, however? Good luck, National League.
Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Rookies Cade Horton and Matt Shaw lead Cubs to 6-1 City Series win over White Sox — and back into 1st-place tie
Cade Horton seemed unfazed by the game's circumstances. For six innings in the City Series matchup Saturday night, the Cubs and White Sox matched zeros in front of a split sellout crowd of 38,432 at Rate Field. Horton rarely faced trouble, deftly navigating a one-out walk and single in the first inning with a double play. He allowed only two hits over the next five-plus innings, and the Cubs got to the Sox's bullpen in the seventh and eighth for a 6-1 win. The two 23-year-old Cubs rookies, Horton and third baseman Matt Shaw, delivered in a bounce-back effort following the Sox's series-opening win Friday. Horton finished with 6 1/3 shutout innings while Shaw's heater continued with three-RBI night, including a two-run home run. Horton's competitiveness has shined. Since getting roughed up in Houston on June 27, Horton hasn't allowed a run in three of his last four starts while posting 1.52 ERA in that span. That start against the Astros — he allowed seven earned runs in four innings — account for one-fourth of the earned runs Horton has allowed this season. Excluding that game, Horton has posted a 2.92 ERA in 64.2 innings (12 outings). 'He's not going to let the previous pitch affect the next pitch, and that's a real skill,' Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. 'I'm saying that as a compliment because that's hard to do in this game, and Cade's excellent at it, and it contributes to his success.' The Cubs have won eight of the last nine games in the City Series. They moved back into a first-place tie in the division with the victory coupled with the Milwaukee Brewers' loss to the Miami Marlins. The Cubs face the Brewers in a three-game series in Milwaukee beginning Monday. 'Horton did a nice job with the fastball, kind of had us on our heels,' Sox manager Will Venable said. 'I didn't think we made the adjustment that we needed to to get on the heater, and he beat us all day.' The Cubs couldn't get anything going early against Aaron Civale. The Sox right-hander retired the first 11 batters before Seiya Suzuki singled with two outs in the fourth. Civale allowed three hits and struck out six in five scoreless innings. 'Just a good game plan going in,' Civale said. '(Catcher Kyle) Teel and I were on the same page, just really focused on setups and getting to certain zones and mixing it around. So credit to him for all the work he's been putting in.' City Series photos: Cubs beat White Sox 6-1 at Rate FieldThe curveball, in particular, served as an effective pitch. 'Felt like I found a new gear, or an old gear,' Civale said with a chuckle. 'So trying to get that back to where it was, and I feel like I got to a really good spot tonight.' Civale exited after 69 pitches. With three lefties in the first four spots due up in the sixth, Venable said, 'It was a really good spot for (lefty Tyler) Alexander.' 'Just felt like Aaron had done his job, and he was great too,' Venable said. 'That was as good as we've seen him.' The Cubs got to the Sox bullpen in the seventh, with Jordan Leasure allowing home runs to Ian Happ and Shaw. 'That's a good offense and they made him pay for mistakes,' Venable said. Column: A kinder, gentler City Series? Say it ain't so, Cubs didn't make many mistakes, limiting a club that had been averaging 8.7 runs per game since the All-Star break to just a Mike Tauchman home run in the ninth. 'They are a really good ballclub too,' Sox third baseman Colson Montgomery said. 'So, last night our pitching, they were dominant and they were still good today. Sometimes (the other team) play(s) good too.' Shaw's two-run blast put the Cubs up 3-0 in the seventh. In eight games since the All-Star break, Shaw is 11-for-23 (.478) with four home runs, nine RBIs and six runs scored. He worked a bases-loaded walk in the eighth against Sox reliever Dan Altavilla to build a six-run Cubs lead, which allowed Counsell to stay away from closer Daniel Palencia. 'I think just playing free and really having a lot of fun has been really huge for me,' Shaw said. 'The All-Star break was nice to get some perspective and kind of take a step back, and then just coming back and really just enjoying playing.' Happ's solo home run in the seventh delivered the game's first run — though he witnessed his former teammate Tauchman nearly rob him of the long ball. 'It was a little scary,' Happ said with a grin. 'I thought I got it a hair better than that. I've seen him do it before, so I'm glad he couldn't get to that one.' Amid a tough stretch for Happ, who entered the game hitting .128 with a .437 OPS in his last 90 plate appearances, the home run finally gave the veteran something positive to potentially build off of. It marked only his second homer in the last month. 'Sometimes you just need success,' Counsell said. 'We can say everything you want to a player, but you need some success, and you need to be part of a win and contribute to a win. Ian did in a big way tonight. And that's as important as anything. That reinforces it's there. 'Sometimes you go through these bad stretches that we don't want to go through. But we need him to be himself, and we saw that tonight.'
Canada News.Net
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Canada News.Net
Suddenly hot White Sox aim to continue streak in Tampa
(Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images) The Chicago White Sox can do something Monday that they have not achieved in more than a year when they travel to play the Tampa Bay Rays. Chicago comes out of the All-Star break having recorded its first sweep of the season, taking three games on the road against the Pittsburgh Pirates in dominating fashion. Capped by Sunday's 7-2 victory, the White Sox outscored their hosts 27-7 over the weekend to record the team's first road sweep in more than three years. Sunday's starting pitcher Aaron Civale said the four-day break last week benefited the team. 'It's hard to get away from this game for one day, so for a lot of guys, it's a good reset,' said Civale, who earned his first victory with the club on Sunday. The righty allowed only one unearned run across six innings and struck out a season-high six against just three hits and a walk. Miguel Vargas was one of the hitting stars for the White Sox over the weekend. The infielder went 4-for-13 in the three games, with two doubles Saturday and a double and three-run homer on Sunday. He scored five times in the sweep. Rookie Sean Burke (4-8, 4.36 ERA) will try to give the White Sox their first four-game winning streak since May 2024. The 25-year-old faces the Rays for the first time. He's coming off a no-decision against the Cleveland Guardians on July 12, when he gave up two runs on three hits and a pair of walks over five innings while notching five strikeouts. Chicago's sweep will not turn the tide on this season as the team (35-65) is 30 games under .500 through the first 100 contests. Still, it shows the White Sox have improved from last season's franchise-worst 41-121 campaign. The Rays saw their hopes for a series sweep dashed on Sunday when the visiting Baltimore Orioles beat them 5-3. All-Star Junior Caminero struck out with the bases loaded to end Sunday's game, but he was electric during the rest of the series. He went 6-for-14 with two homers and five RBIs. Yandy Diaz finished 6-for-10 with a homer, four RBIs and five runs scored. Tampa starter Shane Baz (8-5, 4.17) will see the White Sox for the first time in his career. The right-hander, 26, has lost two straight starts but pitched well in both. In his last start, he gave up the only run in a 1-0 road loss to the Boston Red Sox on July 12. The Red Sox, who were in the middle of a 10-game winning streak, managed only five hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings versus Baz, who struck out three. At 52-48, the Rays are in fourth place in the American League East and 6 1/2 games back of division-leading Toronto Blue Jays. However, they trail the Red Sox and Seattle Mariners by only 1 1/2 games for the last two AL wild-card spots. While Rays starter Ryan Pepiot gave up all five runs in the loss Sunday and was disappointed he could not pitch the Rays to a sweep, he told the Tampa Bay Times that the team enjoyed a good weekend. 'We still won the series,' he said. 'If you win every single series, at the end of the season, you're going to be in pretty good shape.'
Chicago Tribune
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago White Sox head into the All-Star break a season-high 33 games under .500 with a 6-5 loss to Cleveland
Several first-half themes played out on Sunday for the Chicago White Sox. There were mistakes, like pitcher Aaron Civale failing to cover first base on a potential ending-inning double play. That kept the sixth inning alive for the Cleveland Guardians, and Kyle Manzardo followed with a go-ahead three-run home run. The Sox showed fight, rallying twice to tie the score and force extra innings. But the Guardians reclaimed the lead in the 10th when Angel Martínez scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Steven Kwan, and Cleveland held on to defeat the Sox 6-5 in front of 24,680 at Rate Field. The Sox head into the All-Star break with a 32-65 record. They are 8-22 in one-run games. 'Today just kind of felt like an embodiment of the first half where we were out there competing, making plays, making pitches, doing everything well in all phases and making some mistakes that cost us,' manager Will Venable said. 'Too much to overcome. 'For our guys to continue to fight, we've seen that all year. Today was another great example of them continuing to push and battle.' The Sox led 3-0 after five innings. The Guardians loaded the bases with one out in the sixth. José Ramírez hit a chopper to first baseman Miguel Vargas, who fired to second for an out. It might have been tough to double up Ramírez, but the Sox didn't have that option as Civale didn't cover first. 'It was just a mental error,' Venable said. 'He's upset about it. He understands his job there and that he didn't do his job.' A run scored on the play. And Manzardo followed with a three-run home run to put the Guardians ahead 4-3. That was the last pitch for Civale, who allowed four runs on three hits with three strikeouts and two walks in 5 2/3 innings. 'Just got to take accountability for not getting over there and covering first,' Civale said. 'Had a chance to get out of it with that, had a chance to get out of it after that, just one pitch away. So not ideal. But at the end of the day, can't forget what we did the first five innings and have to learn from the sixth.' The Sox tied it in the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run by Andrew Benintendi. The designated hitter went 3-for-3 with an intentional walk. 'Going the other way (for a single) my first at-bat kind of timed me up for everything else,' Benintendi said. 'Felt pretty relaxed up there.' Cleveland went back ahead in the eighth when Kwan scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Ramírez. The Sox tied it again with a two-out RBI double to left by Luis Robert Jr. against reliever Cade Smith. The Guardians intentionally walked Benintendi to get to Robert. 'That guy's not an easy at-bat,' Benintendi said. 'He hit it hard, found the inside of the (third-base) bag. That was a big hit.' Kwan gave the Guardians a 6-5 lead in the 10th with his sacrifice fly. The Sox didn't have a third rally in them, and they went to the All-Star break with nine losses in their last 13 games. Venable said before the game that, 'There's been some really good stuff' from the Sox in the first half. 'Number one, just the competitive spirit and really coming every day to work and compete and play hard has been something that through some tough stretches we've continued to do,' Venable said. 'Been really proud of the group as they've really connected and built something within the clubhouse that they go out and are proud of every day they go out on the field. So that's been something that stands out.' With Sunday's loss, the Sox are 33 under .500 for the first time this season. But last season, the team didn't have 32 wins until Sept. 4. 'One thing to take away is we're in every game, it seems like,' Benintendi said. 'We're right there. There's things that we can work on, obviously. I'm sure we'll think about it over the break and come back ready to play. 'Look at where we were last year compared to this year. It's a tough game, and you've got to take your wins where you can. Baby steps. Guys are getting their feet wet and experiencing this level and playing more. It can only go up from here.'
Canada Standard
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Canada Standard
Guardians carry momentum into series finale vs. White Sox
(Photo credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images) After hitting their season's low point a week ago, the Cleveland Guardians have reversed course in impressive fashion. With one game remaining before the All-Star break, the Guardians now find themselves trending upward. They'll look to maintain their momentum in the finale of a four-game series against the host Chicago White Sox on Sunday. Cleveland has won five of six following a 10-game losing streak, including a 6-2 victory on Saturday. After the teams split a doubleheader on Friday, Kyle Manzardo homered and Tanner Bibee earned his first victory since May 22 to help the Guardians secure the win on Saturday. Cleveland has scored four or more runs in six straight games after batting .166 as a team during its season-long 10-game skid. 'We could be the hottest team in baseball going into the break,' Guardians catcher Austin Hedges said. 'That's what we expect. (We want) to go get a win tomorrow, win the series, and get hot going into the second half.' Cleveland will send left-hander Joey Cantillo (1-0, 3.79 ERA) to the mound for the series finale. He allowed three runs with a season-high seven strikeouts over four-plus innings in a no-decision against the host Houston Astros last Tuesday. Cantillo, 25, has given up a total of three runs across 7 1/3 innings in two outings since moving into the starting rotation on July 3. White Sox infielder Miguel Vargas has struck out in all three of his at-bats against Cantillo, who is 1-0 with 1.00 ERA in nine innings over two career games (one start) versus the White Sox. Chicago will counter with right-hander Aaron Civale (1-6, 5.17 ERA this season with Brewers and White Sox), who gave up five runs over four innings in a 6-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays last Tuesday. The 30-year-old Civale has gone 0-4 with a 5.40 ERA across 25 innings in five starts since being acquired from Milwaukee on June 13. He also has 14 strikeouts against 13 walks during that stretch. 'He's a professional,' Chicago manager Will Venable said. 'He's got things he's got to work on, just continue to grind away and search for the best version of him.' Guardians first baseman Carlos Santana has one hit in 13 at-bats against Civale, who is 1-0 with a 1.64 ERA in 11 innings over two career starts versus Cleveland. Chicago has lost five of its last seven games and was held hitless after the fourth inning on Saturday. 'Credit to their pitchers,' White Sox catcher Kyle Teel said. 'They did a good job, but overall we need to do better as a team. And the beautiful thing about baseball is we have a game tomorrow.' The Guardians have won nine of their last 10 games against the White Sox, who fell to 32-64 with Saturday's loss. Cleveland relievers Erik Sabrowski, Cade Smith and Matt Festa combined for 3 1/3 perfect innings on Saturday. Sabrowski struck out all four batters he faced. 'He always has really good metrics on his fastball, but that's the best we've seen his command with it,' Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. 'To face four hitters and punch all four out, it's very impressive -- especially since there were a couple really good right-handed hitters in there.' --Field Level Media
