Chicago White Sox pitcher Davis Martin picked up a loose baseball near the mound and tossed it to second base, leading to a brief double play call in the top of the sixth inning in Friday’s game against the Houston Astros. The decision changed when a review showed batter Isaac Paredes was hit by a pitch. Instead of two outs, the Astros had runners on first and second with no outs. The inning took a turn, and the White Sox conceded eight runs, resulting in a 9-5 loss before 28,657 fans at Rate Field. The Sox had led 5-0 entering the inning.
Manager Will Venable remarked, “They did a good job putting the ball in play. They just beat us every way that inning.” Post-review, Jose Altuve hit a single, loading the bases for LaMonte Wade Jr., who scored with a single. Christian Walker then hit a three-run double against reliever Bryan Hudson, reducing the Sox lead to 5-4. Cam Smith further tilted the scales with a two-run homer to take a 6-5 lead.
Altuve’s infield hit against Seranthony Domínguez added another run, and Wade’s bases-loaded walk increased the Astros lead to 8-5. Martin voiced his frustration, saying, “It’s really hard. The tone-setting of the sixth inning was bad on my part, leading to the bigger inning.” He emphasized the need to stop the slide but acknowledged the unpredictability of baseball.
Braden Montgomery achieved a career-high of three hits despite the loss. The first-place Sox still held a 1½-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians, positioning at 54-48 in the American League Central. Cleveland lost 11-3 to the Tampa Bay Rays the same day.
Early game momentum was with the Sox. Astros pitcher Spencer Arrighetti hit two batters, including Chase Meidroth, with the bases loaded, in a three-run first inning. Sox expanded their lead to 5-0, with Meidroth hitting an RBI double in the fifth against Kai-Wei Teng. But the offense lacked in crucial moments, going 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position.
Venable expressed, “We had opportunities. Today five runs wasn’t enough. We needed a few more.” The Astros batted 14 players in the defining eight-run inning, a season-high for the Sox in runs allowed during one inning.
A breakdown of performances showed Martin allowed four runs on six hits with three strikeouts over five-plus innings. Hudson, a reliable reliever this season, allowed four runs on three hits in just two-thirds of an inning and took the loss.
Martin reflected on the game, highlighting positive points, “I’m happy with getting out of jams against hitters like (Jeremy) Peña (in the fifth) and (Yordan) Álvarez (in the third). Now it’s about pressing, improving, and finishing innings stronger.”