Montgomery Powers White Sox Past Guardians, Takes Series Lead Over Cleveland
CHICAGO — The White Sox have Cleveland's number early this season, and Colson Montgomery is a big reason why.
The 24-year-old shortstop turned in the best game of anyone on the field Sunday, racking up 37.5 fantasy points and leading Chicago to a 5-3 win over the Guardians. It's the second straight win for the White Sox in this series against Cleveland after dropping the opener, giving Chicago a 2-1 series result so far and some real momentum just days into the year.
This one didn't come easy. Cleveland answered with José Ramírez doing what José Ramírez does, posting 26.0 fantasy points and giving the Guardians a chance to steal it late. But the White Sox had answers up and down the lineup, and that depth proved to be the difference.
How it unfolded
Montgomery set the tone early and never let up. Whatever combination of hits, extra-base pop and defensive value went into that 37.5-point night, it was the kind of complete performance that swings a game by itself. When your shortstop is doing that much damage, everything else the offense manages becomes a bonus.
And Chicago got plenty of bonus production. Brenton Doyle chipped in 24.5 fantasy points in center field, giving the White Sox a second bat that Cleveland's pitching staff simply couldn't figure out. Miguel Vargas added 17.5 points at third base, and by the time Randal Grichuk got his number called as the designated hitter, he found enough room to add 14.0 points of his own. That's four different lineup spots producing at a high level in the same game — the type of balanced attack that wins series, not just single games.
On the mound, Hagen Smith got the start for Chicago and did enough to keep his team in front, finishing with 14.5 fantasy points. He didn't need to be dominant with the way his offense was rolling, but he gave the bullpen a workable lead to protect. Sean Newcomb and Huascar Brazobán closed it out from there, combining for over 20 fantasy points between them out of the bullpen and slamming the door on any late Cleveland rally.
Munetaka Murakami rounded out the productive night for Chicago, adding 13.5 points at first base. When six or seven players are contributing meaningfully to a win, that's not a fluke — that's a team playing complementary baseball.
Cleveland's issues
Ramírez was terrific, but he was largely an island. Steven Kwan gave the Guardians a second scoring threat with 12.5 fantasy points from the leadoff spot, and the bullpen trio of Hunter Gaddis, Tim Herrin and Colin Holderman all turned in respectable relief work — 11.9, 11.7 and 11.7 points, respectively. The problem was volume. Cleveland needed more from the middle of the order, and outside of Ramírez and Kwan, nobody in the lineup separated themselves.
Starter Joey Cantillo struggled to find a rhythm and finished with just 8.0 fantasy points, an indication he didn't miss many bats or work deep into the game. Chase DeLauter added 9.0 points in right field, but that kind of quiet production from your everyday players isn't going to beat a White Sox lineup that's clicking on all cylinders right now.
What it means going forward
Three games into the year against the same opponent, and the White Sox have shown they can win multiple ways — big individual performances, balanced offensive nights, and enough length out of the bullpen to hold leads. Montgomery looks like he could be a foundational piece if Sunday's showing is any indication of what's to come. Doyle and Vargas give manager plenty of confidence that the middle of the order can produce even when Montgomery isn't stealing headlines.
For Cleveland, the concern is depth. Ramírez remains one of the best hitters in baseball, but a lineup that leans this heavily on one or two players is going to lose more of these games than it wins. It's early — one bad week doesn't define a season — but the Guardians need more from the rest of the order, and fast, before this stretch becomes a trend rather than a blip.
For fantasy managers building lineups on JockBroker, Montgomery's performance is exactly the kind of breakout stat line worth tracking early in the year — a player finding his footing right as the season gets going.
