3 Positives and a Major Question After White Sox’s Late Collapse vs. Brewers

Colson Montgomery Shines in a Close Loss

The Chicago White Sox were on the verge of securing their first win of the 2026 season, but Christian Yelich had other plans. The team’s 0-3 start might feel familiar, but there were some positive signs in their tight 9-7 loss. Let’s take a look at the bright spots before diving into the major issue.

Positive: Colson Montgomery’s First Big Moment

For the third consecutive game, manager Will Venable made a different choice for the clean-up hitter. Colson Montgomery has been used to sitting second in the lineup, but he may have earned a spot in the fourth position for the next few games.

Chase Meidroth and Munetaka Murakami both drew walks before Miguel Vargas loaded the bases with a single. Montgomery was in the perfect position and took full advantage. The second-year infielder hit the first pitch he saw 405 feet into right-center field for a grand slam. This was only his second hit of the season and his first home run.

Montgomery followed up with another impressive play an inning later. After Munetaka Murakami hit his third home run in as many games, Montgomery drew a full count before sending a chopper up the middle into center field. Miguel Vargas scored from second, putting the Sox up 6-2.

In his third at-bat of the day, Montgomery earned a lead-off walk at the top of the fifth. He watched five pitches go by, the last four of which were outside the zone. While he didn’t make it around the bases, it was still an encouraging plate appearance. Overall, he accounted for 5 of the team’s 7 runs on the day after failing to record a single RBI in Chicago’s first two meetings with Milwaukee.

Montgomery also showed his defensive skills. He made a fantastic play at short for the final out of the seventh inning. Gary Sanchez hit a bouncer his way, which he back-handed just outside the infield and threw to Murakami, who stretched out for the grab. They got lucky with the slower Sanchez, but it was still a fantastic snag and throw.

Considering the high expectations for Montgomery this season, this performance stands out regardless of the outcome. While 2026 is about taking a step competitively, it’s also about seeing a potential franchise cornerstone like Montgomery continue his climb up the league ranks.

Positive: Bats Finally Come Alive

The good news for the White Sox is that Colson Montgomery wasn’t the only one to find his rhythm this afternoon. After scoring only 3 runs in their first two games, the Sox looked more comfortable at the plate. They finished the day with nine hits – three of which were long balls. Three batters also finished with multiple hits, including right fielder Everson Pereira.

As someone the White Sox are clearly high on, Pereira’s day likely stood out to manager Will Venable. He blasted a 403-foot homer before hitting a sharp single that advanced Montgomery to third. The Sox came into Opening Day carrying six outfielders, which signaled a willingness to rotate players more regularly. However, it’s only a matter of time before someone proves to be worthy of a daily role, and Pereira certainly has what it takes after once being a Top 100 prospect. Consistency, however, has always been his problem.

Speaking of which, it’s easy to see the potential this roster has to put up runs. They have quite a bit of power throughout the lineup, but putting the ball in play regularly is going to be most important. This is a young group with a lot of athleticism, and you have to make the most of that. In other words, you can’t have games like Opening Day when 20 strikeouts are on the board! They have at least brought that down over these last two outings, but the job now is to build off the success of getting on base today against the Marlins.

Positive: Anthony Kay Looks Solid

Anthony Kay was one of the White Sox’ biggest signings this offseason. Heading to the Nippon League after struggling to find his footing in the majors, Kay became one of Japan’s best arms. While the Sox knew he wasn’t destined to mimic his insane 1.74 ERA from overseas, there was clearly optimism around his improved command and velocity.

Kay undoubtedly looked like their most competent starter this afternoon. He held a tough Brewers lineup to just two earned runs and three hits. Both those runs also came on a Gary Sanchez homer in the first inning, so he settled in really nicely as the game went along. Was it the most impressive performance ever? No, especially when we consider he did give up four walks and struggled to find the zone a little. But he at least kept the Brewers’ sizable lead intact.

Unfortunately, we can’t say the same about his friends in the bullpen!

Big Negative: Bullpen Blows It

All things considered, the Chicago White Sox’ bullpen looked like a potential strength coming into the season. Particularly when compared to the starting rotation, it felt like this group had the right mix of high-upside young talent and veteran savvy. However, neither has stood out over the first three outings.

The White Sox have given up 29 runs over their three games, and the bullpen has been responsible for 19 of those runs. Chris Murphy, who put together an impressive spring training and looked like a potentially important piece, has really struggled in his two outings. Veteran Sean Newcomb also left a lot to be desired in his first taste of action. What might be the most concerning, however, is seeing Seranthony Dominguez blow things on Sunday.

One of baseball’s top closers last season, the Sox put him in after Murphy gave up two runs to Milwaukee in the eighth. While put in a tough spot, he still had two outs on the board and failed to get out of the inning. Luis Rengifo scored two on a ground ball single up the middle. Then, Christian Yelich stepped into the box for a pinch-hit three-run blast that gave the Brewers the lead. Jordan Hicks had to come in to send the game into the top of the ninth.

Of course, we have to keep mentioning that we’re only three games into the season. Guys are going to settle in and roles are going to become more defined. We’re also likely to see plenty of roster changes in the coming weeks as some of the organization’s best arms get a call-up to the majors. Still, this felt like a group that could help this Sox team quite a bit early on, but they have only hurt them thus far.