The Chicago White Sox have lost six of seven and 13 of 16 since surging to begin the second half of the season.
On Friday, they will aim to turn their fortunes as they open a 10-game homestand with the start of a three-game set against the Minnesota Twins.
Minnesota went 4-2 against Chicago before the All-Star break, although the teams look decidedly different since the most recent meeting on April 24, a 3-0 White Sox victory shortened to seven innings due to rain.
Multiple rookies have joined the fray for the White Sox over the past four months, led by Colson Montgomery. The 23-year-old shortstop rested on Tuesday as he navigates left side soreness, then went 0-for-3 during Chicago’s 1-0 road loss to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday.
Since swatting his 10th (and most recent) home run on Aug. 11, Montgomery has gone 3-for-27 (.111) with nine strikeouts.
“Definitely experienced a lot of things from the highs and the lows, from winning and losing,” Montgomery said. “I always keep saying, ‘You just have to learn from each experience.’ It’s all just going to help in the future.”
Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli provided a similar refrain Thursday after the Twins lost 8-3 to the Athletics to conclude a 1-6 homestand.
The Twins finished with five hits but collected two in the ninth inning, including an RBI double from Royce Lewis, who went 3-for-22 (.136) during the homestand. Brooks Lee’s streak of six consecutive games with an extra-base hit was snapped.
“We didn’t play the type of baseball that we needed to this series, really, on either side of the ball,” Baldelli said, “… But honestly, we can’t get down on ourselves because we played a rough series. I think we have to keep on it and keep working and stay focused on the important things and preparing and having a good attitude and going at it and playing hard.”
Twins right-hander Zebby Matthews (3-4, 5.06 ERA) will get the call on Friday in his first career meeting with the White Sox.
Matthews, recalled from Triple-A Saint Paul in May, took a no-decision against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday. He allowed two runs and five hits in four innings with six strikeouts and a career-high four walks.
Matthews felt he “didn’t do a good job of working ahead of hitters.”
He added: “I had a lot of arm-side misses; that could be a mechanical thing. But it’s also the takes. … As much as you’d like to pin it on one thing, lots of things go into it.”
The White Sox will turn to veteran Aaron Civale (3-8, 4.88 ERA), who joined Chicago from the Milwaukee Brewers in June.
The right-hander has pitched to a 6.89 ERA in three August starts covering 15 2/3 innings but regrouped from a disastrous Aug. 8 outing at Cleveland with a quality start at Kansas City on Aug. 15. Civale scattered three runs and eight hits in six innings with one walk and three strikeouts.
Civale is 1-4 with a 4.34 ERA in 11 career starts against Minnesota.