Colson Montgomery Snaps Out of Slump to Will White Sox to Win Over Twins

The Chicago White Sox saw two of their most talented young players catch fire on Friday night.

Aug 28, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Chicago White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery (12) celebrates hitting a three run home run against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After a much-needed off day, the Chicago White Sox certainly looked well-rested in a 7-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins. There were a lot of positives to draw from this win, so let's discuss it!

Montgomery, Murakami Break Out of Slump

Aug 28, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Chicago White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery (12) hits a single against the Minnesota Twins in the fifth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The White Sox kept their offense rolling against the Twins in the first inning, scoring four runs on a two-out rally. Andrew Benintendi would get a key RBI hit off Dean Kremer, whom he was only 1-for-13 off of going into this one. But then, something even more encouraging happened.

To say Colson Montgomery had been struggling this month would be an understatement. Through 22 games in August, Montgomery had slashed .186/.253/.291 with just two home runs and a lot of strikeouts. It seemed as if he was close to breaking out of his prolonged slump by taking more pitches out of the zone and getting base hits. But with one swing of the bat, he completely broke out of it. On a 1-2 count, Montgomery mashed a splitter for a three-run home run. Montgomery went 2-for-4 on the night.

Munetaka Murakami also showed some promising signs of his own. After slashing .113/.288/.302 in his previous 15 games, Murakami went 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.

Luis Castillo Struggles Again

Aug 28, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Luis Castillo (58) delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After a horrible 2.2-inning start against the New York Mets, Luis Castillo had the opportunity to rebound and show why the White Sox paid such a heavy price for him. He did not.

In four innings, Castillo would give up four runs on eight hits and a walk with just one strikeout and two home runs allowed. He struggled to command his pitches, leading to a three-run first inning, and threw just 75 pitches. Luckily, the bullpen would hold the lead the offense gave, and he wasn't on the hook for a loss.

Hagen Smith was terrific in the first inning of relief, going three-up, three-down with two strikeouts. However, he was able to retire just one batter before Grant Taylor was put in during the sixth inning. Taylor was once again magnificent. He went 2.2 innings of shutout baseball, striking out three in the process while looking virtually unhittable. Bryan Hudson would close out the game for a White Sox win.

The White Sox should be feeling pretty good about their bullpen during this sprint toward the playoffs.

Next Up

On Saturday, Erick Fedde will face Bailey Ober. It's interesting that Fedde is starting, given his struggles in the first inning. However, things could change between now and the first pitch. Fedde, in his last 15 games (four starts), has pitched to a 3.60 ERA. Ober has a 4.49 ERA in 20 starts this year. In his last start against the San Diego Padres, he pitched five innings, giving up one run.