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Rookie Shane Smith Gets the Ball as White Sox Look to Stop Skid Against Brewers

Originally posted on On Tap Sports Net | By Besnik Zekiri | Last updated Apr 30, 2025 6:03 PM ET

Returning home from a 10-game road trip and a Monday off day, the Chicago White Sox couldn't create any momentum in their series-opening loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. Despite back-to-back solo home runs in the first inning, the Sox dropped the contest 7–2 at Guaranteed Rate Field.

The good news? Two more games remain to salvage the series, starting with tonight's matchup.

Smith Looks to Build on Strong Start

Chicago hands the ball to rookie sensation Shane Smith, who earned his first career win in a rain-shortened victory against the Minnesota Twins. The 2025 Rule 5 Draft's first overall pick, Smith, was left unprotected by Milwaukee and now gets a chance to make them regret that decision.

Though he has just five career starts under his belt, Smith has shown flashes of being a potential long-term piece for Chicago's next winning core. The rest of the league is still unfamiliar with him, and the Sox hope to use that to their advantage.

Tobias Myers, who had a breakout rookie year for the Brewers in 2024, gets the nod for Milwaukee. He struggled the last time he faced the Sox, giving up five earned runs on seven hits and a walk in 4.1 innings in a 12–5 loss last May, but used that outing as a springboard for the rest of his season. While he'll recognize a few faces in the White Sox lineup tonight, much of the cast has changed.

White Sox Sleepy Offense

The Sox are riding a five-game home losing streak and sit 4–9 at Guaranteed Rate Field on the season. Despite a solid 3.42 team ERA over their last 10 games, they're 3–7, while being outscored by just one run in that span. Meanwhile, the Brewers are 4–6 over their last 10 despite a 3.49 ERA.

Andrew Benintendi has shown signs of life at the plate, hitting three home runs in his last 10 games. On the other side, Jackson Chourio has been Milwaukee's bright spot, slashing .318/.348/.500 during that same stretch.

What's On Tap Next?

The keys to victory remain the same for the White Sox: keep errors to a minimum, give their starter some run support, and avoid the kind of late-game collapses that have plagued them early in the season.

Despite yesterday's homers, it marked just the fifth time this season Chicago has gone deep twice in a game—and the first time they've lost when doing so. They've managed just four runs in their last two games after exploding for 10 runs against the Athletics, a worrying sign for a team that's already endured two extended losing streaks in 2025.

If the Sox are serious about turning things around, it starts tonight—with Shane Smith leading the charge.

This article first appeared on On Tap Sports Net and was syndicated with permission.

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