NEW YORK — Looking on the bright side, Chicago White Sox shortstop Luisangel Acuña wasn’t called upon to pitch Wednesday night in another lopsided 10-5 loss to the New York Yankees.
Acuña served as the mop-up man Tuesday in a 12-2 loss, but the Sox chose the more traditional route late Wednesday in their drubbing at the hands of the Yankees.
The early-season showdown between two first-place teams has fizzled out in big-time fashion, with the Yankees seemingly showing the Sox they’re in a different league.
“Really just kind of a relentless effort by them, and we didn’t have any answers for them,” manager Will Venable said.
Sean Burke gets an opportunity to change the narrative and avoid a sweep as the bulk pitcher Thursday, following left-handed opener Bryan Hudson.
But so far it has been all New York, New York. The Sox have been outscored 22-7 in the two games at Yankee Stadium and have lost nine straight in the Bronx since June 8, 2023. They’re 2-13 overall against the Yankees since 2024.
Colson Montgomery homered twice and drove in four runs Wednesday, but Anthony Kay put the Sox in a quick four-run hole after two innings and lasted only four innings. The Sox have had only one starter — Davis Martin — last more than five innings over their last nine starts without using an opener.
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Adding injuries to insult, reliever Sean Newcomb and center fielder Everson Pereira were forced to leave the game. Newcomb was hit by a scorching liner on his left triceps but said it was just a charley horse and he should be ready when called upon.
Pereira crashed into the left-field wall while making a sensational leaping catch of Ben Rice’s shot off Trevor Richards in the seventh with the Sox trailing by seven. Pereira was evaluated for a concussion, and the Sox placed him on the seven-day injured list Thursday and recalled outfielder Junior Pérez from Triple-A Charlotte.
After lying motionless on the field for more than a minute, Pereira said after the game through an interpreter that he felt better by the time he got to the clubhouse and had no qualms about going all-out late in a game that was out of reach.
“That’s what we’re here for,” he said. “Even though we were down seven runs, we have a pitcher on the mound that the runs count for him, too, and we have to do our best to help each other.”
Pereira said he didn’t know if he lost consciousness, though Venable said Pereira was “seeing some stars there.” The Sox manager wasn’t surprised at the effort despite the score.
“They’re out there playing to do a job, and that’s a great example with Everson giving himself up there,” Venable said.
Cody Bellinger’s two-run home run off Kay in the first inning put the Yankees ahead for good, though Kay insisted he was “unlucky” and victimized by the ballpark’s design. The 363-foot home run, Bellinger’s 11th, had an exit velocity of 92 mph.
“That Belli ball was hit at 92 and had an expected batting average of .070,” Kay said. “That’s kind of a Yankee Stadium ballpark luck right there.”
If that’s ballpark luck, Bellinger gladly will take it. He went 3-for-4 with a walk and is 6-for-8 with four RBIs in the first two games of the series.
Bellinger has been clutch all season, leading the majors with 15 go-ahead RBIs. The Cubs sent Bellinger and $5 million in cash to the Yankees before the 2025 season for Cody Poteet in a salary dump that Chairman Tom Ricketts denied was a salary dump. Bellinger likely will join ex-Cub Kyle Schwarber, who was nontendered after the 2020 season, in next month’s All-Star Game in Philadelphia.
Montgomery’s three-run home run against Carlos Rodón in the third pulled the Sox within a run, but that was the team’s last big hit. The Yankees scored two off Newcomb in the fifth before he was removed for the triceps injury, and Paul Goldschmidt ended the suspense with a three-run home run off Tyler Davis.
Montgomery and Sam Antonacci hit solo home runs late with the game out of hand.
“These last two have been tough,” Venable said of the back-to-back shellackings. “But these guys continue to battle and put themselves in good spots.”
But unless the Sox pitching improves, the battles will be uphill more often than not. With the stated goal of contending in 2026, that’s not a recipe for success.