Colson Montgomery hit a tiebreaking home run and went 2-for-5 with two RBIs to help the Chicago White Sox snap a three-game skid with a 3-1 win against the host Cleveland Guardians on Saturday.
Chicago starter Sean Burke notched a career-high 11 strikeouts while holding Cleveland to one run on seven hits in six innings. Brandon Eisert (2-1) tossed a perfect seventh and eighth and Grant Taylor came on in the ninth to earn the save.
Parker Messick gave up one run on five hits in five innings for the Guardians, who had won three in a row.
Montgomery put Chicago ahead 2-1 in the top of the eighth off reliever Tim Herrin (1-4), launching a sinker 402 feet to right field deck. It was the 24-year-old’s 22nd home run of the season, surpassing his total from his rookie campaign last year.
Miguel Vargas drove in Tristan Peters with a sacrifice fly in the ninth to make it 3-1. Peters led off the frame with a double and advanced to third on reliever Matt Festa’s throwing error on a pickoff attempt.
An RBI double from Montgomery in the first helped the White Sox take a 1-0 lead. Vargas drew a leadoff walk. Then, with two outs, Montgomery connected on a fastball and put it into left field. Cooper Ingle couldn’t get to it before it rolled over the line and missed the plate on the throw home, allowing Vargas to easily cross the plate.
The Guardians came close to threatening with two on with one out in the bottom half of the frame thanks to back-to-back singles from Chase DeLauter and Kyle Manzardo, but Kahlil Watson grounded into a double play to end the inning.
Chicago had a chance to break the game open in the fourth with the bases loaded and two outs but a flyout from Vargas ended the threat.
