Colson Montgomery, White Sox walk off Angels to close out April with a sweep

The White Sox’ bats woke up just in time to salvage Erick Fedde’s strongest start of the season on Wednesday, walking off the Angels 3-2 on a 10th-inning RBI single from Colson Montgomery to complete a three-game series sweep.

The Sox couldn’t muster much before rookie Sam Antonacci's RBI triple tied the game in the bottom of the ninth inning. Then Angels reliever Drew Pomeranz walked the bases loaded in the 10th, setting the stage for Montgomery’s heroics.

"I think it’s who we are. We are all going to compete until the end," the shortstop said after ending the game.

Earlier, a Chase Meidroth double set up Miguel Vargas’ RBI single to put the Sox on the board in the third inning against Angels’ lefty Mitch Farris, but future Hall of Famer Mike Trout responded in kind with a solo home run off Fedde in the fourth.

Fedde otherwise sailed through the first six innings before surrendering another solo blast to Angels’ first baseman Vaughn Grissom in the seventh inning. The homers were among five hits Fedde scattered over seven innings, with six strikeouts and no walks to keep them in a game that closed out an impressive month of .500 baseball for the Sox.

"If you can go down to your last out — and I feel like everybody in that clubhouse believes [Antonacci's] going to come through — it's an important atmosphere for the club," Fedde sad. "We're in a good place."

Injury troubles

The Sox put right fielder Everson Pereira on the 10-day injured list after he exited Tuesday’s game with a right pectoral strain. It’s the second IL stint this season for Pereira (.250/.310/.453 with three homers) following an ankle sprain suffered in the first week of the season.

Outfielder Jarred Kelenic got the corresponding call from Charlotte as the former top prospect has hit .202/.346/.464 with six homers in 26 Triple-A games.

Separately, and perhaps more ominously, right-handed pitching prospect Tanner McDougal exited his start for the Knights with right forearm tightness on Wednesday. Further tests were underway for the 6-5 hurler, who has fanned 27 across six starts with a 3.00 ERA, and figured to be part of the parade of rookies making their debuts with the Sox this season.

Rude welcome

Ex-Sox rebuild flameout Yoan Moncada was greeted to hearty boos for most of his plate appearances this week at the ballpark where he spent eight seasons struggling in the face of sky-high expectations. It was a homecoming as well for former Sox outfielder Adam Eaton, now the Angels’ first base coach.

“We were sitting here this morning having some breakfast and just talking about it a little bit,” said Eaton, whose Sox tenure overlapped with Moncada’s in 2021. “When I was here, I enjoyed myself.
I really did. I just wish that we would have done more winning while we were here.

“But a lot of fun memories of being around here for sure. It warms your heart,” he said.

Moncada, who went hitless with three strikeouts against his former team, is hitting .183/.323/.317 on the year with three homers.

Elsewhere in the rearview mirror, the Mets said Luis Robert Jr. was day-to-day with back tightness and the Blue Jays designated Eloy Jimenez for assignment.

Say it ain’t so, Alexei

Former Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez tested positive for four anabolic steroids while playing for Team Cuba at the World Baseball Classic at age 44, the International Testing Agency reported Wednesday.

Ramirez, who hit .270/.307/.392 with 115 homers across nine MLB seasons, all but one on the South Side, struck out in his only WBC plate appearance. He can challenge the agency’s findings.