Andrew Benintendi and Lenyn Sosa each hit solo home runs, and the Chicago White Sox held off multiple comeback attempts to defeat the Los Angeles Angels 6–3 on Friday night at Angel Stadium. The White Sox entered the game as slight +105 underdogs but used timely hitting and solid bullpen work to secure the series-opening win.
Benintendi opened the scoring with a solo shot in the second inning, followed moments later by another solo homer from Sosa, both coming off Angels starter Tyler Anderson. The pair of long balls gave Chicago an early two-run lead. In the fourth, Luis Robert Jr. extended the advantage to 3–0 with a sacrifice fly that scored Miguel Vargas.
Shane Smith returned to the mound for the White Sox after being sidelined on the 15-day injured list. The right-hander pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on two hits while striking out four. He exited after surrendering a two-run home run to Gustavo Campero in the bottom of the fifth, which cut the White Sox lead to one run.
Jordan Leasure came on in relief and struck out four over 1 2/3 innings to earn the win, improving his season record to 4–6. He helped halt the Angels’ momentum after Campero’s home run narrowed the deficit. Colson Montgomery restored Chicago’s two-run cushion in the sixth inning with a solo home run, continuing his impressive post-All-Star break performance. Montgomery has 18 RBIs since the break, tying him with Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber for the most in the majors over that stretch.
Los Angeles managed to respond in the seventh inning. Logan O’Hoppe scored on a Zach Neto sacrifice fly to make it 4–3, and the Angels appeared to tie the game when Nolan Schanuel singled with two outs. However, a baserunning miscue by Campero resulted in an out at third base before Travis d’Arnaud could score, ending the inning and nullifying the potential tying run.
Sosa added an insurance run in the eighth with an RBI single, and Josh Rojas hit a solo home run in the ninth to cap the scoring for the White Sox. Steven Wilson closed the game with two scoreless innings, earning his second save of the season.
Anderson, who took the loss for the Angels, allowed three earned runs on five hits over five innings. The left-hander fell to 2–7 on the year, despite recording six strikeouts.
The Angels, who dropped to 53–60 with the loss, could not overcome multiple missed opportunities, including the costly baserunning error in the seventh that prevented the game from being tied. The White Sox improved to 41–69, continuing an intense stretch of play following the All-Star break.
The two teams are set to meet again Saturday night. Right-hander Aaron Civale (2–6, 4.38 ERA) will start for Chicago, while right-hander Kyle Hendricks (6–7, 4.73 ERA) is expected to take the mound for Los Angeles.