The stakes were real on both sides. The trade deadline lands August 3, and instead of selling off pieces like recent years, the White Sox have been buyers, adding arms as they hang around the AL Central race. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, came in sitting alone atop the AL East and had no interest in dropping a series to a team picking up scraps for a playoff run.
Chicago had won 3 straight coming in, including a series win over the Yankees, and carried that momentum into Friday. The White Sox scored in 4 different innings, chipping away with 1 in the first, 1 in the second, 2 in the third, then breaking it open with 2 more in the sixth to turn a competitive game into a laugher.
Tampa Bay's offense never found an answer, managing just 1 run on 5 hits against a Fedde outing that had otherwise been shaky in his last few turns. The Rays' lone run came in the fourth, and after that Martinez and the bullpen couldn't slow down a White Sox lineup that finished with 8 hits despite 2 errors on the other side of the ball.
It's the kind of win that reinforces why Chicago is buying instead of selling this summer, and a reminder for Tampa Bay that a division lead doesn't guarantee a soft night against a team with something to prove.