Chicago White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery summed up his team’s mentality in one word after their 3-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday: “Relentlessness.”

That attitude is serving the White Sox well, as they are currently one game up on the Cleveland Guardians for first place in the American League Central after winning five of their last six.

They will look to rely on that same mindset as they begin a three-game set against the AL West-leading Texas Rangers on Monday in Arlington, Texas.

Facing someone Montgomery called “a true competitor” in Blue Jays starter Trey Yesavage on Sunday, the White Sox hitters were ready for a battle at the plate.

“We knew we had to be disciplined with our plan,” Montgomery said.

“We just tried to stay positive,” he added. “And I think we just pulled through.”

Montgomery was a vital part of the 3-0 victory, hitting his team-leading 24th home run off Yesavage in the sixth inning.

There’s no secret ingredient to the surprise turnaround by the White Sox, but Montgomery credits the youth of the team for their day-to-day camaraderie.

“We’re all young, we’re all pretty inexperienced,” he said, “so we’re all just staying together.”

Erick Fedde (5-6, 4.15 ERA) will start for Chicago in Monday’s opener. Fedde’s last appearance came in relief on July 11, but he picked up the win after throwing four shutout innings in a 1-0 win against the visiting Athletics.

Fedde is 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA in three career appearances (two starts) versus the Rangers.

Texas power-hitting outfielder Wyatt Langford, who homered in the team’s 8-5 road loss to Atlanta on Sunday, has been slowed down only by the injury bug in 2026.

Langford has played in only 47 of the Rangers’ 99 games this season due to quad and forearm injuries in April and a hamstring strain in late June, but he’s not allowed the stop-start nature of his availability to throw off his rhythm. Seven of Langford’s 10 homers this season have come in his last 16 games, over which time he’s hitting .368 (25-for-68) with 17 RBIs.

Texas comes home after dropping two of three to the Braves in their first series after the break.

The Rangers will turn to veteran Jacob deGrom (7-5, 3.49) on the mound. The right-hander is coming off a health scare, as he was scratched from his last scheduled start on July 12 with a glute injury. Fortunately for Texas, their ace will avoid a stint on the injured list as he gets ready to face Chicago.

Texas manager Skip Schumaker said he waited to make the decision to start deGrom until he threw a pain-free bullpen session over the weekend, saying, “You want to check every box.”

“His health is good after the break, which is great news,” the manager said.

The last time deGrom took the mound, he had a no-decision in the Rangers’ 8-3 win over the visiting Los Angeles Angels on July 7, giving up two runs and striking out seven in five innings.

The White Sox are one of just five teams that deGrom has not beaten in his 13-year career. A five-time All-Star and two-time winner of the National League Cy Young Award, he has a 0-0 record and 1.80 ERA in three previous starts against Chicago.

–Field Level Media

The Miami Marlins’ 3-1 walk-off loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday served as a microcosm of their recent performances, with their season-worst six-game skid reflecting their quality of play.

Marlins closer Pete Fairbanks surrendered a three-run homer to the Brewers’ William Contreras while trying to protect a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth inning. Miami arrives in Houston for Monday’s opener of a three-game series against the Astros not only seeking an end to its losing ways, but a reversal of its current string of poor showings.

“I didn’t think it was a specific (stink); I thought it was an all-encompassing type of (stink),” Fairbanks said following the defeat. “So we’re going to try and rectify that. But for right now, I’m going to be pretty (angry) about it.”

The Marlins’ loss in the series finale followed an 8-6 defeat on Saturday that left Miami manager Clayton McCullough displeased. To make matters worse, the Marlins lost All-Star shortstop Otto Lopez to a right ring finger injury in the middle contest of that three-game set. Lopez did not play on Sunday, and his status against the Astros is unclear.

“There’s still some swelling there in the nail area,” McCullough said. “A day-to-day thing with how he responds over the next few days. Hopefully, some of that soreness gets out of there, and he’s able to ramp up some more baseball activity.”

Right-hander Janson Junk (4-5, 4.57 ERA) has the starting assignment for the Marlins on Monday.

Junk has won consecutive decisions after dropping three straight decisions in May. Junk beat the Seattle Mariners 8-4 on July 9, when he allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and four walks with five strikeouts over five innings. That marked the first start for Junk in six weeks following a stint on the injured list.

Junk is 1-0 with a 6.00 ERA in two career starts against the Astros. In his previous appearance against Houston on Aug. 6, 2025, Junk allowed three runs on five hits and two walks with two strikeouts across five innings in a 6-4 home victory.

Right-hander Ronel Blanco (3-4, 4.10 ERA in 2025) will be reinstated from the 60-day injured list and make his season debut for the Astros on Monday. It will mark the first start for Blanco since May 17, 2025, when he allowed three runs on five hits and three walks with five strikeouts across six innings in a 5-1 loss to the Texas Rangers.

Blanco underwent Tommy John surgery soon thereafter and missed the remainder of the season.

In five rehab appearances (four starts) across three levels this season, Blanco is 1-0 with a 1.06 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 17 innings.

The Astros remain in a desperate search for quality starting pitching and are hopeful that Blanco, who tossed a no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays in his eighth career major league start and first in the 2024 campaign, can provide a boost to their fortunes.

“He feels good,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “His stuff looked really good in his outings. I’m excited to have him back.”

–Field Level Media

Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman was snubbed from last week’s Home Run Derby, but he already is making a case for next year’s event.

Goodman has a team-high 30 homers for the Rockies, who face the Washington Nationals in the opener of a three-game series on Monday in Denver.

Washington took two of three from the Athletics over the weekend to move two games back from the final National League wild-card spot.

“These guys in the clubhouse have done a lot to get to this point that we are at today,” Nationals manager Blake Butera said. “We still have a lot of work that needs to be done, but overall, I’m happy with the way these guys come out ready to play every single day.”

Despite owning the NL’s worst record (40-61), the Rockies have provided several reasons for optimism. The team boasts a promising young core led by Goodman, right fielder Troy Johnston and first baseman TJ Rumfield.

Goodman hit three home runs in a game for the second time this season and drove in five runs in the Rockies’ 9-6 loss to the visiting Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.

“His body looks like it’s flowing right. He looks dangerous. He just looks in-sync,” Colorado manager Warren Schaeffer said. “You can see the confidence seep out of him.”

The 26-year-old Goodman has five multi-homer games this season and is batting .257 with 56 RBIs.

Another player who could be considered for next year’s Home Run Derby is Washington shortstop CJ Abrams, who hit his career-high 21st homer in a 5-2 victory over the host Athletics on Sunday.

Abrams started at shortstop for the NL in the All-Star Game, but he said that wasn’t even his most memorable moment of the week.

“My favorite part was probably the Home Run Derby,” Abrams said. “It was fun to watch.”

The pitching matchup for the series opener features a pair of left-handers as Washington’s Andrew Alvarez (2-3, 4.04 ERA) faces Colorado’s Kyle Freeland (2-8, 7.36).

Alvarez, 27, is set to make his first career start against the Rockies. He has appeared in 13 games this season, including six as a starter.

Alvarez last pitched on July 12, when he replaced starter Cade Cavalli in the seventh inning and allowed three runs over two frames in a home loss to the New York Yankees.

Control has been an ongoing issue for Alvarez, who has walked 22 batters in 49 innings this season. He owns a 4.99 ERA in eight games (three starts) at home this season compared to a 2.45 mark in five games (three starts) away from Nationals Park.

The Rockies will counter with Freeland, who allowed four runs with nine strikeouts over six innings in a 4-2 road loss to the San Francisco Giants on July 11.

“Kyle was excellent,” Schaeffer said. “He was efficient. He attacked the strike zone. His fastball was really good. His changeup was really good. He just felt like he was in command of the game.”

Freeland, in his 10th major league – all with Colorado — is one win away from securing his 68th career victory, which would tie him with German Marquez for third in franchise history. Jorge De La Rosa (86) and Aaron Cook (72) sit atop the list.

Freeland, 33, is 5-3 with a 2.14 ERA in 10 career starts versus Washington.

–Field Level Media