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White Sox survive Citi Field gut-check, leave Queens with a split message: the kids can hit — but the margin is thin

The White Sox walked into Queens needing a measuring stick against one of the NL’s best early-season starts. Three games later, they walked out 20–17 — and with a reminder that this club’s floor and ceiling are both being set by the same thing: a young core that’s learning on the fly, sometimes the hard way, and sometimes in a blur of chaos.

New York took the first two behind power and frontline pitching. Chicago took the finale by turning a seven-run deficit into an 11–8 statement, fueled by a five-run seventh inning that felt like it was ripped straight out of a summer pennant race.

The Mets finished the set 23–15. The White Sox left with a series loss — and a pulse.

Game 1 (May 11): Mets 6, White Sox 0 — Senga turns the lineup into silhouettes

This one was over in the quietest, most brutal way: Kodai Senga simply erased Chicago’s night.

The Mets scored two in the first, then waited. Chicago scratched three hits total and struck out 10 times, never really forcing a pivot point. Jonathan Cannon battled for six innings, but a two-run double in the sixth (Davis Schneider) opened the gap, and the eighth inning turned into a highlight reel when Brandon Nimmo and Juan Soto went back-to-back to make it 6–0.

That’s the blueprint when a good team has its ace rolling: early punch, no air, no oxygen.

Game 2 (May 12): Mets 3, White Sox 1 — More thunder from Lindor/Soto, Teel finally cracks it late

Different starter, same Mets script: solo shots and a shutdown start.

Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto both left the yard in the first inning, and Lindor added another homer in the third. That was enough, because Griffin Canning kept Chicago quiet for seven, and the Mets bullpen chained the final six outs together with no drama.

The Sox did find one late — Kyle Teel launched a ninth-inning solo homer to spoil the shutout — but the comeback never got a second breath.

The real sting came with the note attached: Penn Murfee left the game injured while pitching, a development that would loom even larger the next day.

Game 3 (May 13): White Sox 11, Mets 8 — The comeback that changes the tone of a road trip

If the first two games were a reminder of how small the margins are, the finale was proof that Chicago can still take a punch and throw one back — repeatedly.

New York jumped ahead 3–0 in the first (Soto homer, Ty France two-run blast), then pushed it to 4–1 in the second. Chicago chipped, then Luis Robert Jr. detonated a two-run homer in the sixth to make it 4–3 and drag the Sox back into range.

And then the bottom of the sixth happened: the Mets pushed three more across to go up 7–3, Citi Field buzzing, the script ready to be filed away as “good try.”

Chicago ripped it up.

The turning point: the 5-run seventh

The White Sox loaded the bases, and Edgar Quero cleared them with a three-run triple, instantly flipping the pressure to New York. A sac fly brought Quero home to tie it, and then Colson Montgomery crushed a solo homer to cap the five-run avalanche and put Chicago in front 8–7.

They weren’t done. In the eighth, Chicago stacked quality at-bats and tacked on three more, with Samuel Zavala driving in a run and Quero delivering again to stretch the lead to 11–7. The Mets got one back on a Brett Baty homer, but Edwin Díaz slammed the door in the ninth to finish the job.

That game had everything: momentum swings, traffic, mistakes, and the kind of “we’re not going away” inning that can show up in a team’s identity later.

Player of the series: Colson Montgomery (and the kids in general)

If you wanted the clearest snapshot of Chicago’s path, it was this: the Sox got smothered twice, then won the finale because their young bats refused to fold.

Montgomery: huge presence in Game 3 (three hits, homer, on-base chaos).

Quero: the series’ defining swing — that bases-clearing triple — and a constant “next big moment” threat.

Teel: didn’t let the series end without leaving a mark (Game 2 homer, steady pressure).

The headline after the headline: Murfee down, Thorpe up

The win came with a cost: Penn Murfee hit the 15-day IL with a strained forearm (expected 1–2 weeks), and Drew Thorpe was recalled from AAA Charlotte to cover innings.

That’s a real test for the bullpen depth — especially with Chicago playing tight games against quality opponents.

What it means

Chicago leaves Queens at 20–17 with a series loss, but also with something you can build on: proof that this lineup can create a tidal wave when it strings plate appearances together. The warning label is just as clear: when the starter/relief combo isn’t sharp, and the strikeouts pile up, the offense can disappear fast.

Next up, the Sox turn the page quickly — and if the finale was any indication, they’ll do it with confidence, not relief.