Takeaways After White Sox Get Swept by Pirates Due to Offensive Ineptitude

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Sep 3, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Chicago White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery watches his teammates bat against the Houston Astros in the first inning at Daikin Park.

Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connectthe Chicago White Sox offense failed to get the job done again, getting swept and losing Game 3, 2-0. Their inability to take control of the Pirates on their home field allowed the Cleveland Guardians to further close the gap at the top of the AL Central. Only 1.5 games separate the two sides now, putting that much more pressure on their three-game set next week.

As you would expect in a 2-0 loss, the pitching was great. However, it wasn't enough for Chicago to salvage the series. Hagen Smith would open this one and was unbelievable once again. In two innings, Smith gave up two hits and no runs, striking out three batters.

He would give way to Erick Fedde, who would pitch 5.1 innings with two runs on four hits and a walk. A home run off Fedde by Oneil Cruz, which was 117.4 mph off the bat, would be the deciding factor in this one. Bryan Hudson would come in after Fedde and surrender an inherited run on an Oneil Cruz base hit, but would get a double play to end the eighth inning.

Jordan Hicks came in after Hudson and would finish the game with a scoreless inning. A zero on the scoreboard should tell the story pretty well, but the White Sox offense couldn't get the job done AGAIN. Through 6.2 innings, the White Sox were no-hit by Pirates starter Jared Jones. A Colson Montgomery double broke up the no-hitter, but the White Sox were unable to score in this one.

Every White Sox starter except Braden Montgomery struck out at least once, and the White Sox recorded just two hits, going 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. When the White Sox offense didn't strike out, they provided weak contact. The White Sox had just four hard-hit balls in this one, with two of them being the two hits in this one.

After a sweep by Pittsburgh, fans have to wonder if the White Sox are truly built to succeed in the playoffs this year, or if they will disappoint in their first postseason appearance since 2021. The White Sox will hope to get out of their funk by traveling to St. Louis to face the Cardinals. As of now, Anthony Kay will face Matthew Liberatore. Kay has struggled in his last few appearances, to say the least.

In his last seven games, he has a 5.06 ERA. He has given up four or more runs in five or fewer innings in his last three starts. He will hope for a better outing against St. Louis. As for Liberatore, he's been hit hard this season with a 5.57 ERA in 28 starts .

Randal Grichuk and Brenton Doyle have home runs against Liberatore in their careers, so expect a big game for the right-handers in this lineup to snap out of their slump. Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendationsMatthew Singer is a contributor for White Sox on SI. Before joining SI in 2026, he worked for Heavy as an MLB contributor and Cubs on SI.

Singer has a master's degree in sports journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. He loves sports more than anything in the world.

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