Davis Martin deals, White Sox bats wake up with season-high 15 hits in 9-2 win over Athletics

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — White Sox starter Davis Martin looked unhittable as he mowed through the Athletics lineup for the first 3 ⅓ innings of Friday’s series opener on the West Coast, and he might’ve been until center fielder Luisangel Acuna lost a fly ball in the lights at Sutter Health Park.

It fell for a ground-rule double off the bat of Shea Langeliers, breaking up Martin’s flawless start. But Acuna redeemed himself in the bottom half of the fourth inning with an RBI double, just as a previously lifeless Sox offense redeemed itself with a season-high 15 hits in their 9-2 win.

On a cathartic night for a batting order languishing toward the bottom of most key hitting categories, Munetaka Murakami swatted a mammoth grand slam on a 3-for-5 night, Colson Montgomery went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI and Andrew Benintendi went 3-for-6 with two doubles and an RBI.

"Those guys have been putting together really good at-bats, with not a lot to show for it, so to be able to come out, continue that and get rewarded, was really nice," manager Will Venable said.

Murakami’s towering 431-foot blast soared at 114 mph over the batter’s eye for his sixth home run of the year.

"I just tried to swing as much as possible. And the results came in in the best way," he said via interpreter Kenzo Yagi.

Scattering three hits over seven innings with two walks and four strikeouts, it was the strongest start yet from Martin, who enjoyed the view of Murakami's homer.

"Guy's got stupid juice," Martin said. "Came at the right time when we needed it. Just a lot of fun."

Sticking with Seranthony

General manager Chris Getz signed closer Seranthony Dominguez to a two-year, $20 million deal to lock down exactly the kind of situation he walked into Thursday against Tampa Bay.

Staked to a 3-2 ninth-inning lead and facing the heart of the order, Dominguez promptly served up a game-tying home run to Junior Caminero, then gave up a single, walk and a wild pitch before hitting a batter and getting the hook en route to a deflating 5-3 loss.

Dominguez served up a crunch-time homer to Christian Yelich on opening weekend in Milwaukee, too, and his ERA ballooned to 7.50 following his second blown save.

But don’t call it buyer’s remorse just yet.

“It was an outing in which he wasn't at his best, certainly. But our confidence in him is not going to change just because of one outing,” Venable said of Dominguez, who has been sharp in most of his other five outings. “We still have confidence that he can go out there and help us win games at the back end of our bullpen.”

Not o-Kay?

Sox left-hander Anthony Kay wasn’t thrilled to find out “like 10 minutes before” Thursday’s game that he’d be throwing in bulk, facing the sixth Rays hitter behind opener Jordan Leasure.

“It’s not really ideal,” said Kay, who signed a two-year, $12 million deal in the offseason after two years playing in Japan.

Following a strong start in Kansas City (5 ⅔ scoreless innings with six K’s, two walks and no opener), Kay went 2 ⅔ innings, giving up a run on four hits with a walk and a strikeout. But he wasn’t making excuses: “My job is to get outs, regardless of what situation it is."

Venable said Friday that “if that was something that he wasn’t pleased about, that’s something certainly that we’ll iron out.”

“Sometimes in asking guys to do this, it’s not going to be perfect… and you’ve got to go out there and do your job regardless. I’m definitely sensitive, especially as we’re asking guys to do things that might take them out of their routine, to make sure that they have the information that they need when they need it,” Venable said. “So if there was something we can do better on our end, we’ll certainly fix it.”

Sox hurlers have seemed less than enthusiastic about Venable’s use of openers five times so far this season, four by Grant Taylor. The second-year manager he’s deploying the strategy to create more favorable matchups, and “I’m always going to do what I think is best for the team.”

“We’re all doing this in the spirit of trying to find ways to win, and I think every single one of these guys is behind that idea and supports that. I’ve been transparent about that from Day 1,” Venable said.

Coming and going

Before opening their series against the Athletics, the Sox called up left-hander Doug Nikhazy from Triple-A Charlotte and sent down reliever Tyler Gilbert.

The Sox claimed Nikhazy, 26, off waivers earlier this month from Cleveland, where he struggled in one of his first two big-league games last year. In a five-inning start and a four-inning relief appearance for the Knights, Nikhazy struck out 10, walked three and gave up three runs.

“He's here to give us some length” against a lefty-heavy Athletics lineup, Venable said.

Gilbert, who tossed a no-hitter for Arizona in 2021 and drew umpires’ scrutiny last year for a sticky mitt later deemed legal, was touched up for six earned runs in two Sox appearances spanning 2 ⅔ innings while shuttling back and forth twice from Charlotte.