Erick Fedde pitched six innings without allowing any runs, while Tommy Pham contributed with two hits and an RBI as the Chicago White Sox secured a narrow 3-2 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday night.
Chicago won its second consecutive game and its fourth in the last six matches, improving its record to 10-28. The White Sox no longer hold the worst record in the majors, moving ahead of the Colorado Rockies, who are 9-28.
Despite being in last place, Chicago has managed to split the series against the AL Central-leading Cleveland.
“We’re performing well,” Fedde commented. “We always believed this team had potential. We faced some unfortunate injuries, especially all at once, which was tough for us. But over the last 12 or 13 games, we’ve been playing at least .500 baseball, which is what we aim for, and we just want to build on that.”
José Ramírez and Josh Naylor hit back-to-back solo home runs off Chicago reliever John Brebbia with two outs in the eighth inning, reducing Chicago’s lead to 3-2.
The 36-year-old Pham, who hit a double, has a batting average of .313 in the 12 games since joining the White Sox. Andrew Vaughn and Paul DeJong also contributed RBIs for Chicago.
Bryan Ramos, a rookie for Chicago, had a single and a double in his sixth game since being recalled from Double-A Birmingham. He has a batting average of .389 in his debut major league season. Eloy Jiménez also had two hits, including a double.
Fedde, who now has a 3-0 record, only allowed three singles, walked none, and struck out three batters through six innings. He credited his command of a variety of pitches, particularly his changeup.
“This team relies on me to be a reliable pitcher who can pitch deep into games,” Fedde added. “I want to fulfill that role, and it’s crucial to continue doing so going forward.”
