The Chicago White Sox secured a 4-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday at Globe Life Field, powered by strong pitching and timely hitting. The win, which came before an attendance of 31,127, allowed the White Sox to move back into first place in the American League Central division.

White Sox starter Anthony Kay delivered a solid performance, pitching five innings while allowing two runs on five hits. Kay struck out four and issued two walks, improving his record to 7-4. His key moment came in the bottom of the fourth inning when the Rangers loaded the bases with no outs. Kay induced a ground ball that resulted in a double play, limiting Texas to a single run in the inning before striking out Alejandro Osuna to escape further damage.

“He just did a really good job of managing the game,” White Sox manager Will Venable said, noting Kay’s competitiveness and ability to maintain control despite facing challenging situations. The bullpen followed suit, with three relievers combining for eight strikeouts and no hits over the final four innings to preserve the lead.

Offensively, Chase Meidroth led the White Sox with four singles and two RBIs. He delivered a crucial two-run single in the fourth inning that helped the team regain the lead. Andrew Benintendi contributed two hits and two RBIs, including an RBI single in the fourth and another that extended the lead in the sixth. Braden Montgomery also played a noteworthy role, reaching base multiple times and scoring three runs.

The game’s scoring began early, with Montgomery walking and eventually scoring on a Meidroth single to put Chicago ahead 1-0 in the second. However, Texas responded quickly with a home run by Cam Cauley, tying the score. Chicago regained the lead in the fourth inning on a sequence that included a walk by Munetaka Murakami, who scored on Meidroth’s single, followed by Benintendi’s RBI single.

Despite some fielding and throwing errors in the sixth, the White Sox bullpen stymied the Rangers’ offense. Reliever Jordan Hicks quelled the threat, and Grant Taylor struck out five of six batters across the seventh and eighth innings. Bryan Hudson closed the game with two strikeouts in the ninth, recording his fourth save of the season.

With the victory, the White Sox improved to 54-47 and hold a one-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians in the division. The team won two of three games in the series against Texas and also recently took two games in Toronto, marking a positive start to the second half of the season.

“Every series win is important,” Venable said. “We weren’t necessarily focusing on series wins earlier, just game by game, and we were able to do that today.”

The White Sox will look to build on this momentum as they continue their push in the AL Central race.