Sox beat Rockies to open series pitting MLB's worst teams against each other

DENVER — The White Sox have an opportunity this weekend to help pass a historic hot potato to the lowly Rockies, who are flirting with the modern major-league record for most losses in a season set last year by the Sox.

The Sox’ 3-2 series-opening victory behind eight strong innings from starter Adrian Houser on Friday dropped Colorado’s record to 20-68, five games behind the dismal pace of the 2024 Sox squad that finished with 121 losses.

Sox manager Will Venable said pushing the Rockies closer to the history book isn’t adding any extra motivation for the Sox in this weekend’s Battle of the Really, Really Bad.

“We’ve got a team that is a major-league baseball team that I think has more wins than we do over the last five weeks. We have as much respect for these guys as any other team,” Venable said.

The Sox are running four games ahead of last year’s historically bad squad at 29-59 — but that pace still would only be good enough for the second-worst season in franchise history.

“We can sympathize with what they’re going through over there because we got to witness it firsthand last year,” said assistant general manager Josh Barfield, who added the Sox’ incremental improvement should offer hope, particularly in the crop of nine rookies on the active roster.

“If you look at the record, it’s better, but it’s not that much different. But you feel a lot of good things happening underneath,” he said.

Quero’s first bomb

It was Colson Montgomery’s night, but Edgar Quero had a big first of his own, knocking his first major-league home run 401 feet into the right-field stands to break a 2-2 tie in the sixth.

The rookie catcher’s inaugural dinger proved to be the difference in the Sox’ win, on top of a two-run single from outfielder Michael A. Taylor, who returned to the lineup after an ugly collision with Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy on Wednesday.

Quero, a prize of the 2023 trade that sent Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez to the Angels, has emerged as one of the Sox’ most promising young talents as general manager Chris Getz tries to turn around the franchise.

The 22-year-old native of Cuba has slashed .273/.347/.331 with seven doubles and 19 RBI.

The bomb earned Quero the traditional silent treatment from teammates when he made it back to the dugout.

“It was a really cool moment, everybody waiting for me. I’m happy for that,” he said.

Vin and out

The Sox designated infielder Vinny Capra for assignment in a corresponding move with Montgomery’s big-league call-up.

Capra was brought on by the Sox in May for defensive depth, as the 28-year-old’s .125/.157/.177 slash line would suggest.

But his Sox’ stint will go down in history, not only for falling as future Dodgers Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw’s 3,000th career strikeout victim, but also for Capra’s own work on the mound.

He had three mop-up stints to save the bullpen, tying him with Matt Davidson, Don Hanski and Josh Harrison for the most pitching appearances in a season by a position player in franchise history.