ARLINGTON, Texas — White Sox reliever Jordan Hicks is getting big results from a small tweak to his delivery that he made while recovering from the lat strain that kept him out of action for a month.
The hard-throwing right-hander raised his arm slot after “looking at some old video to try to replicate what worked in the past,” the veteran said, helping him find another tick on the 100 mph-plus fastball that put him on the map.
Hicks struck out two Rangers in his first outing since the All-Star break Monday, extending a 10-game scoreless streak since returning from the injured list June 21. Batters were 3-for-32 against him with 17 strikeouts over that stretch, lowering Hicks’ ERA nearly two full runs down to 3.62.
If his arm-slot fix sounds simple, Hicks credits another back-to-the-basics routine, too.
“I’ve also been playing catch more with my four-seam,” Hicks said. “That’s what I was doing in ‘23,” when he struck out 81 hitters over 65⅔ innings with the Cardinals and Blue Jays. “With the four-seam, I always want to get a little more ride. That’s why I like playing catch with it.”
Colson nurses bruised calf
Colson Montgomery was out of the starting lineup Tuesday as the Rangers roughed up rookie starter Noah Schultz for five runs on 11 hits over 3⅔ innings in his first start out of the All-Star break.
Montgomery sat a night after fouling a ball off his calf and exiting the Sox’ series opener at Texas, but he’s “not worried about it being a long-term thing.”
“It was a direct hit on my calf muscle,” Montgomery said. “Completely missed my shin guard.”
Manager Will Venable said his slugging shortstop was available off the bench and likely to start Wednesday.
Reel good time
Funky left-hander Bryan Hudson enjoyed some time boating Mississippi River near his hometown of downstate Alton over the All-Star break, feasting on fish instead of hitters for one relaxing afternoon.
Not that it was all good eating. He and some friends were trolling for catfish but spent more time dodging Asian carp leaping out of water.
“They were literally jumping into the boat,” Hudson said of the invasive species. “Slimy, nasty guys.”
Hudson, who’s gone from floating around the waiver wire to anchoring the back of the Sox’ pen, leapt out of the break with his latest nasty appearance in Toronto. He threw a flawless inning and a third in Sunday’s shutout win to lower his ERA on the season to 2.13 over 43 games.
“Chucking a few poles in the water is always nice,” the 6-8 reliever said, but he was itching to get back.
“In the break, it’s always that’s always on the back of your mind the whole time you’re relaxing and whatnot — like, alright, still keep my body in shape, and mentally stay in shape as well to go out there and do it again in a few days,” Hudson said. “So to get that first one out of the way after the break is a good feeling.”
Naperville Central star signs
The Sox signed Naperville Central alumnus Colin Barczi as an undrafted free-agent catcher. He adds another local tie to the team’s newest crop of talent along with No. 34 pick Landon Thome, the Hall of Famer Jim’s son from Nazareth Academy, and Brother Rice grad Luke Lawrence, another infielder who went undrafted out of Kentucky.
Team scouts had projected Barczi as a third- to fifth-round pick out of Vanderbilt as he posted a .917 OPS in 31 games last season, until he went down with a shoulder injury.