Rays' Nick Martinez falters, gives up 4 home runs in loss to White Sox

Abby DiSalvo, Tampa Bay Times on Jul 31, 2026

Published in Baseball

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The first White Sox home run might have been a bad omen for the Rays. The second was certainly worrying. But the third and fourth were nails in the coffin, putting Tampa Bay on the wrong end of a 6-1 score in Friday’s series opener.

Starting pitcher Nick Martinez gave up a career-high four homers in his six innings on the mound, along with three additional hits. The right-hander’s stumble came hours after teammate Shane McClanahan landed on the injured list with mid-back tightness.

Alex Cook, who was called up to replace McClanahan, pitched a decent two innings in his major league debut. The White Sox bats had simply provided too much cushion for the Rays to overcome.

Chicago put the first tally on the board with a Miguel Vargas home run in the first inning. The White Sox extended the lead in the second with a right-field homer from Andrew Benintendi. The visitors finally strung together some action in the third inning, pairing a single with a Munetaka Murakami home run for a 4-0 lead. In the sixth, Murakami singled and Colson Montgomery brought them both home to run up the score.

Though the White Sox churned out most of the big hits, Junior Caminero made sure to get in on the action. He cracked a fourth-inning pitch high into center field, where it bounced off the D-ring for a home run, making him the fourth player in franchise history to compile multiple seasons with at least 30 homers.

White Sox pitcher Erick Fedde otherwise kept the Rays contained. His sinker frustrated Tampa Bay’s lineup, and he collected six strikeouts alongside four hits in his five innings.

Yandy Diaz tried to dent the deficit in the eighth inning, hitting a double down the left-field line and advancing to third on a throwing error. But Jonathan Aranda lined out, Caminero walked and Ryan Vilade struck out swinging to leave the Rays five runs behind.

Chicago’s home-run bonanza overshadowed some solid plays by Tampa Bay’s defense. Though Benintendi attempted to double on a line drive in the fifth inning, a lightning throw from right fielder Victor Mesa Jr. to shortstop Taylor Walls forced him out at second. Moments later, Walls scooped up a groundout that got by second base, slinging the ball to first just before Chicago’s Braden Montgomery reached the plate.

The AL-leading Rays (64-45) will face the White Sox (58-51) at 4:10 p.m. Saturday in the second matchup of the three-game series.