Meidroth fuels Sox victory.
Chase Meidroth stars as White Sox defeat Dodgers 8-2 in division leaders' showdown.
The Chicago White Sox routed the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-2 on Friday night, handing the two-time defending World Series champions their most lopsided loss of the young series. Chase Meidroth went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, powering a seven-run fifth inning that blew the game open before a sellout crowd of 37,882 at Rate Field, according to AP News.
The win pushed Chicago's home record to 19-3 over their last 22 games. The White Sox, who lost 100-plus games in both 2023 and 2024, now lead the AL Central at 36-31 — one of baseball's biggest turnaround stories this season.
Seven-Run Fifth Inning Buries the Dodgers
The game turned completely in the bottom of the fifth. Chicago sent 11 batters to the plate and scored seven runs. Miguel Vargas, traded away by Los Angeles in July 2024, struck first against his former team with a go-ahead RBI double. Meidroth followed with a two-run single, and Tristan Peters capped the explosion with a two-run triple, per AP News.
Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki allowed seven runs on seven hits across 4.1 innings, falling to 3-4 on the season. Reliever Blake Treinen came in to stop the bleeding but "threw gas onto the fire," according to LA Times, allowing four more runs to score immediately. Analysts noted Sasaki's signature splitter hit only a 53% strike rate in that inning — a clear mechanical red flag Chicago's hitters exploited.
Ohtani Sits Out With Left Knee Inflammation
Los Angeles played without Shohei Ohtani, who left a game against Pittsburgh on June 11 with left knee discomfort. Manager Dave Roberts ruled him out for the series opener, saying, "If it was another time of the season, he'd be in there. But giving him an extra day is the smart thing to do," per LA Times. Santiago Espinal started at designated hitter in his place and drove in both Dodgers runs with a second-inning single.
Roberts said Ohtani's situation is not an "IL situation," but the injury carries extra concern. Ohtani had left knee surgery in 2019 and has a congenital condition called bipartite patella. His next scheduled mound start — with a 1.06 ERA this season — remains tentative, The Japan Times reported.
Meidroth and Kay Anchor Chicago's Statement Night
Meidroth was the night's standout player. His three hits extended a 12-game hitting streak and a 22-game on-base streak. He is batting .340 during that run, according to San Mateo Daily Journal. Andrew Benintendi also homered — a solo shot off Sasaki in the first inning — to set the tone early.
Starter Anthony Kay earned the win, improving to 6-1 on the season. He struck out a career-high seven batters across five innings. The White Sox bullpen held the Dodgers scoreless the rest of the way to seal the 8-2 final, per CBS Sports.
A Rebuild Complete: White Sox Rout Baseball's Best
The Dodgers entered the game as NL West leaders at 44-25. Beating them by six runs carries real weight in Chicago. Sox Machine writer Jim Margalus called the win a cathartic moment for fans, saying it "lends all the suffering a sense of purpose." Manager Will Venable, in his first season, has turned a 100-loss team into a division leader.
Los Angeles-based outlets framed the loss around Ohtani's absence and "normal wear and tear" of a long season, per Bakersfield.com. Chicago's local media saw it differently — not just a win, but a "statement" that the rebuild is officially over. The two teams meet again Saturday, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto set to face Sean Burke.
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