Luis Castillo gave the Chicago White Sox exactly what they needed on Wednesday night, striking out 10 over seven shutout innings as the White Sox beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-0 in a sharp response to the frustration of the night before.
It was Castillo’s first win with Chicago, and it came in a performance that looked far more like the pitcher the White Sox expected when they acquired him from Seattle in an Aug. 1 trade. After a difficult debut last week at Boston, when he was tagged for five runs over four innings, this was a clear turnaround.
Castillo settles the game early
Castillo allowed just one hit and two walks, working through seven innings with the kind of control that kept Cincinnati from ever building momentum. For a White Sox team that had blown a 4-0 lead in a 5-4 loss in the series opener, that kind of stability mattered just as much as the scoreline.
The outing matched Castillo’s longest of the season and showed why Chicago valued him so highly. He was not just missing bats; he was preventing any real traffic on the bases, which allowed the White Sox to play with confidence from the opening innings.
White Sox back him with enough support
The White Sox gave Castillo a cushion and never let the game drift. The 5-0 result meant there was no late pressure, no repeat of the previous night’s collapse, and no need for Chicago’s bullpen to be dragged into a tight finish.
That is what made this such an important win for the White Sox. The club entered the night as AL Central leaders, but momentum can disappear quickly in a long season. After the series opener went wrong, Castillo’s performance restored control.
There was also an element of authority to the way he finished the job. A 10-strikeout, one-hit outing does more than protect a lead; it sends a message that the rotation can still set the tone when the games matter most.
What comes next
The series finale comes on Thursday, with Andrew Abbott scheduled to start for Cincinnati and Davis Martin set to pitch for Chicago. If Castillo’s start was about response and recovery, the next game will show whether the White Sox can carry that momentum forward.
