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Spiegs: "Cubs were embarrassing as hell" - Jesse: "This Sox series is over" | Chicago Sports Tonight
The Score’s Matt Spiegel and ESPN Chicago’s Jesse Rogers recap the White Sox and Cubs’ results in their Game 1 matchups of the MLB Wild Card round. How can the Cubs rebound from what Spiegs says was an 'embarrassing performance?' Plus, can Sean Burke lock down the Astros offense and help the White Sox win their first playoff series since 2005? Jesse says 'this series is over.'
The White Sox are moving on.
The franchise that's been one of the best stories in baseball, shaking off three consecutive 100-loss seasons to make the AL playoffs, will continue to write their chapters in the 2026 MLB season.
They eliminated the Astros in two games, beating Houston 7-3 on the road to win the Wild Card round and advance to the ALDS where the AL Central rival Cleveland Guardians now await.
Here are three takeaways from the White Sox AL Wild Card Game 2 win, which is the first series win for the Southsiders since 2005.
Another playoff game, another hot start
The White Sox had the start every team wants.
They tagged Astros’ starter Hunter Brown for four runs. The White Sox went through the full batting order in the first, and when the dust settled they led 4-0 early. The Astros did themselves no favors with errors, but the White Sox offense was as timely as it was significant.
That gave Sean Burke a good cushion to start the game, which helped him move on from the lead-off home run in Houston’s half of the first inning.
Playing with a lead like that alleviates some pressure, and Houston created some pressure with three solo home runs in the first four innings to bring the game to 4-3.
But, the White Sox added insurance. That gave way to the Sox’s bullpen taking care of business. Jordan Hicks came in and helped keep the Astros offense at bay instead of trying to keep them from taking a lead.
It was an example of how loose the White Sox play.
Meidroth hits biggest homer in recent memory
Leury Garcia hit a three-run home run in the 2021 ALDS off of a 3-1 pitch deep. That gave the White Sox a 6-5 lead during the team’s five-run rally on the way to a 12-6 win.
Edgar Quero’s walk-off home run to beat the Cubs in May was a moment where the White Sox grew up and punctuated their rapid run through May.
Meidroth eclipsed both of those homers. His three-run shot in the sixth inning was significant and it was a massive moment for a young team that’s growing into the role of a contender as they go.
The backstory:
For Meidroth, it was a moment that punctuated what he means to the team. The Sox’s second baseman was a last-second throw-in piece when the White Sox traded Garrett Crochet to the Red Sox in a deal that included Braden Montgomery and Kyle Teel.
That homer stretched the Sox’s lead to 7-3, creating massive separation and critical cushion for the bullpen to work with.
The biggest moment of the game…
Was not Chase Meidroth’s three-run home run in the top of the sixth inning.
Of course, it provided crucial offense at a time when the White Sox desperately needed some runs.
But, the biggest moment of the game wasn’t Meidroth’s home run.
Big picture view:
It was Anthony Kay’s two-batter appearance in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Kay came in with two on, one out and top AL MVP candidate Yordan Alvarez at the plate. Kay got Alvarez out. He then faced Jose Altuve with the bases loaded. Kay got Altuve out to preserve the one-run lead.
That led to Meidroth’s three-run homer. Without Kay’s two critical outs, this might have been a completely different game.
The Source: Story and analysis is from FOX Chicago's Chris Kwiecinski.