White Sox 7, Diamondbacks 11: Slogging to even the series

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 22: Ildemaro Vargas #6 of the Arizona Diamondbacks high-fives teammate Jose Fernandez #11 after hitting a three-run home run against the Chicago White Sox during the second inning at Chase Field on April 22, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images This season, outside of a couple hiccups, has gotten off to an excellent start for the D-Backs. After a three-game sweep at the hands of the Dodgers to open season, the team has reeled off a 13-7 record and lost consecutive games just once to the major league leading Atlanta Braves.

But these last two games have been pretty ugly – particularly on the pitching side as they allowed 21 runs and the starters pitched less than five innings total while allowing 16 runs. Even for an offense that has shown an ability to score runs in bunches with a joyful dynamism, that kind of run differential is difficult to overcome. It’s also forced the team’s bullpen to cover an absurd number of innings as a result.

So the D-Backs were hoping to reverse both of those trends against a (nominally) weaker opponent in the White Sox, but instead the pitching continued to struggle to contain a surprisingly feisty Chicago offense and instead had to be bailed out by an excellent offensive output. Eduardo Rodriguez has been a particular bright spot in a pitching staff that has been surprisingly resilient so far. Of course, the bar to clear for the veteran is essentially underground given his combined 5.

02 ERA and 1. 534 WHIP since signing as a free agent before the 2024 season. But ever since his excellent World Baseball Classic run with Team Venezuela, Rodriguez has been on another level, working to a 1.