MIAMI — It took four games, but the White Sox finally have a win.
Miguel Vargas drove in a career-high six runs — headlined by a grand slam in the fourth inning — and Austin Hays crushed a three-run homer as the White Sox routed the Miami Marlins 9-4 on Monday night at loanDepot park. After an 0-3 start in Milwaukee that included a devastating blown lead in the series finale, the change of scenery did the trick.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHW | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| MIA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 0 |
Vargas Takes Over
Moved to the leadoff spot for the first time this season, Vargas wasted no time making an impact. He singled home Everson Pereira in the third inning to open the scoring, then watched Hays follow with a three-run blast to right that made it 4-0. An inning later, with the bases loaded, Vargas launched a grand slam to left off Chris Paddack that blew the game wide open at 8-0. He added a sacrifice fly in the sixth for good measure — six RBI on the night, a career high.
Pitching Did Its Job
Davis Martin earned the win in his season debut, going 5 innings with 6 strikeouts. He gave up a two-run Liam Hicks homer in the fourth but was otherwise steady with a big cushion. Sean Newcomb was the story out of the bullpen — 2.2 innings, 5 strikeouts, and just 1 earned run. Jordan Hicks locked it down with 1.1 scoreless innings for his first save as a White Sox closer. Unlike Sunday's meltdown in Milwaukee, the bullpen held.
Murakami's Streak Ends, the Bats Spread Out
Munetaka Murakami went 1-for-5 with a single, ending his homer streak at three games. He's still slashing .286/.444/.929 through four games — the production has been real even without a long ball tonight. Tristan Peters continued his quiet hot start (2-for-3, .444), Pereira had two hits and scored twice, and Luisangel Acuña stole two bases and scored two runs despite not recording a hit. The offense was broad-based for the first time all season.
Up Next
The White Sox and Marlins continue Tuesday night in Miami. Erick Fedde gets the ball against Janson Junk. First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. ET.