In the last two games, the White Sox have shown they can take divergent paths to winning.
Hours removed from a 13-run rout, the Sox beat the Athletics 1-0 on Saturday. An offense that scored 14 runs Friday put up only one — on a double by Chase Meidroth in the sixth inning. That left the pitching and defense to deliver the victory.
‘‘The guys are just finding ways to win,’’ manager Will Venable said. ‘‘We’ve talked about that all year. We love the blowout [victories], and those are always great. But you’ve got to win these close games where you’ve got to just find different ways.’’
Bulk pitcher Erick Fedde (four innings) and four others combined to allow four hits. Grant Taylor got the last five outs. Sean Newcomb pitched 1⅓ innings and was one of the beneficiaries of shortstop Luisangel Acuna’s defense.
With a runner at third and no outs in the eighth, Acuna preserved the Sox’ lead. Playing in, Acuna snagged a 104.2 mph grounder by Tyler Soderstrom and threw him out at first. Taylor then replaced Newcomb and struck out Shea Langeliers before getting Jonah Heim to ground out to end the inning.
‘‘[Acuna] saved the game a bunch of times,’’ Meidroth said. ‘‘Without what he did on defense today, we don’t win that game. Props to him for showing up and playing both sides of the ball.’’
Gonzalez gone
The story of the 2026 Sox can’t be told without Jacob Gonzalez.
Called up from Triple-A Charlotte after Munetaka Murakami injured his hamstring May 29, Gonzalez — a shortstop by trade — filled in at first base and slashed .244/.323/.360. The Sox went 17-18 during Murakami’s absence, and Gonzalez was a reason they stayed in contention.
Gonzalez, a first-round draft pick in 2023, had struggled in pro baseball before this season, but adjustments to his swing made him a major-league player and contributor to a winning team.
When Murakami returned Friday, however, Gonzalez was optioned back to Charlotte. Then he was traded to the Pirates with left-hander Brandon Eisert for the 34th pick in the MLB Draft on Saturday and minor-league pitcher Jaden Woods.
‘‘He meant a lot,’’ Venable said. ‘‘Obviously, there’s the objective performance and what he did in driving in runs in big spots and the defensive value he provided. To give us that stability was obviously huge and a really big story of us being able to have a strong first half.’’
General manager Chris Getz said he thought ‘‘it was the right move for the Chicago White Sox’’ to make the trade for more draft capital. The Sox used the pick on Nazareth Academy shortstop Landon Thome, the son of Hall of Famer Jim Thome.
To fill out the roster after the trade, the Sox recalled left-hander Tyler Schweitzer from Charlotte.
Derby day
When he takes part in the Home Run Derby during All-Star festivities Monday in Philadelphia, Murakami won’t even be a week removed from his hamstring injury. If there’s any risk, the Sox don’t seem too worried.
Venable said ‘‘everyone’s supportive’’ of Murakami’s decision to participate.
‘‘He’s in a good spot,’’ Venable said. ‘‘He’s out here playing major-league games, and we’re doing that with the confidence that he can go out and do that. He takes home-run derby every single day when he takes batting practice; that’s just how he hits the ball. I think he’ll be fine.’’