White Sox rally to win home opener; Getz in no hurry to call up pitching prospects

For their home opener Friday, the White Sox needed a quality start, reliable relief, anything to put a dent in their MLB-worst 8.63 team ERA.

The Sox did get the equivalent of a quality start between opener Grant Taylor and six innings from Sean Burke. Then they squandered the lead in the eighth inning, fell behind in the 10th, but rallied to beat Toronto 5-4 on a Tristan Peters walk-off RBI single.

After a 1-5 start to the season, this ending was sorely needed on the South Side.

“That was so cool, to have all the fans rallying behind us, sticking through it with us,” Peters said. “It was an up-and-down game, very exciting.”

One solid game doesn't mean the White Sox pitching concerns are over. There may be better options in the minors, but general manager Chris Getz said before the game this is not the time to call up Noah Schultz, Tanner McDougal or Hagen Smith for their MLB debuts.

“Yeah, we know those guys are there,” Getz said. “To have three significant arms like that at the Triple-A level is very comforting as we're looking into the future of this season. But certainly don't feel like it's the right time to bring those guys (to the majors).”

Schultz, Smith and McDougal are rated the White Sox' Nos. 2, 4 and 6 prospects by MLB Pipeline. Schultz and Smith were back-to-back first-round picks in 2022 and '23, Schultz out of Oswego East High School, and Smith from Arkansas.

Schultz, a 6-foot-10 left-hander, has been dominant in two appearances with Charlotte, allowing just 2 hits, 2 walks and 1 run over 9 innings pitched, with 10 strikeouts. Against Nashville on Wednesday, his four-seam fastball averaged 96.6 mph and he used six pitches.

Smith has been limited to 3 innings in his two early appearances and posted a 3.00 ERA. McDougal struck out 8 in 4 innings in his first outing for Charlotte, allowing 1 run on 2 hits.

“We want to make sure those guys are throwing multiple pitches, being able to navigate both-sided hitters, turn lineups over,” Getz said. “You don't want to get too jumpy.

“I know it can be enticing to bring those pitchers up, but these guys are such a significant part of the future of the White Sox. We want to handle this with care and making sure they're ready when they come in.”

It's unclear if that timeline will be accelerated if Sox pitchers continue to struggle. Shane Smith, an all-star last year as a rookie, has a 19.29 ERA through two starts.

“It's really his four-seam fastball, commanding it, having the confidence in it,” Getz said of Smith's struggles. “It really hasn't been there, and it was such an effective pitch for him last year. I mean, it was one of the top four-seam fastballs in baseball. We're doing everything we can to get him back on track.”

The White Sox faced their former ace, Dylan Cease, on the mound Friday. He signed with the Blue Jays as a free agent during the winter, two years after the Sox traded him to San Diego.

The Sox scored right away, with Munetaka Murakami ripping a single in his first at-bat at Rate Field. Chase Meidroth, who led off with a walk, hustled into third and later scored on an error. The Sox took a 3-1 lead in the third on a 2-run single by Austin Hays.

Taylor cruised through the first inning on just 9 pitches, then Burke added a solid 6 innings, allowing 1 run with 7 strikeouts. To start the eighth, though, reliever Jordan Leasure game up a walk and tying home run to Andres Gimenez.

Toronto took the lead in the 10th on an error, Miguel Vargas' throw to first base pulled Murakami's foot off the bag.

The Sox had a runner on third with two outs in the bottom of the frame and Derek Hill laid down a bunt to score the tying run. It was far from a perfect bunt. The ball didn't even reach the grass and Toronto catcher Tyler Heineman had time to get the out, but threw it into right field, allowing Hill to get to second. It was ruled a hit and an error.

One batter earlier, Blue Jays starting catcher Alejandro Kirk was struck with by a foul tip from Hays and left the game with an apparent thumb injury. So Heineman had just checked in, and with Hill on second, Peters delivered the game-winner.

“Skip (manager Will Venable) came out and he was like, 'If they're playing back, don't be afraid to drop one down,'” Hill said. “Just went out there and executed his plan and it all worked out.”