CHICAGO (Interstat) — Miguel Vargas hit a two-run homer, Davis Martin pitched six effective innings and the Chicago White Sox snapped a six-game losing streak by holding off the San Diego Padres 4-3 on Friday night.

In a matchup of teams at opposite ends of the standings, the last-place White Sox (58-96) used a two-run fourth inning to break a tie and secure a narrow victory over the playoff-contending Padres (83-71) before a crowd of 30,505 at Guaranteed Rate Field. The game took 2 hours, 11 minutes.

Vargas provided the early offense for Chicago, launching his 15th home run of the season in the first inning off former White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease. The blast to left field scored Colson Montgomery, who had singled, and gave the White Sox a 2-0 lead.

San Diego methodically chipped away at the deficit, scoring single runs in the third, fourth and sixth innings to tie the game. Luis Arraez drove in Jake Cronenworth with a single in the third, and Ryan O’Hearn’s RBI single in the fourth scored Ramón Laureano. In the sixth, Laureano doubled and later scored on a groundout by Gavin Sheets.

The tie was short-lived. Chicago answered immediately in the bottom of the fourth. After a walk to Vargas and two hit batters loaded the bases, Curtis Mead delivered a game-tying single to center. Will Robertson followed with another single to right, driving in the go-ahead run.

Martin (7-10) earned the win, allowing three runs on six hits over six innings. He walked one and struck out four. The Chicago bullpen sealed the victory with three scoreless innings of relief. Jordan Leasure worked 1 2/3 innings, Brandon Eisert recorded one out and rookie Grant Taylor pitched a perfect ninth for his fifth save.

Cease (8-13), traded from the White Sox to the Padres prior to the 2024 season, took the loss in his return to Chicago. He lasted six innings, giving up four runs on four hits while striking out six.

The Padres outhit the White Sox 7-4 but went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base. The result defied the pregame projections from Interstat, which had given San Diego a 64.5% probability to win and projected a 5-3 Padres victory.

The teams continue their three-game series on Saturday.