Montgomery's slam off Twins pitching prospect Abel helps White Sox to 7-3 win

CHICAGO (AP) — Colson Montgomery hit his first career grand slam and Luis Robert Jr. homered late as the Chicago White Sox snapped a three-game skid with a 7-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday night.

Montgomery's 12th homer of the season came in the second inning and was a 412-foot shot to right-center off starter Mick Abel, one of the Twins top prospects who was called up from Triple-A earlier in the day. The slam increased Chicago's lead to six runs. Earlier in the inning, Chase Meidroth drove in Andrew Benintendi on a single.

The 24-year-old Abel (2-3), acquired from Philadelphia in the Jhoan Duran trade at the deadline, lasted three innings, allowing all six of his runs in the second, with two strikeouts and two walks.

Abel was recalled from Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday after posting a 1.76 ERA while holding opponents to a .140 batting average over his last three starts in the minors.

The Twins got solo homers from Cody Clemens, his 14th, Matt Wallner, his 17th, and Royce Lewis, his eighth. Thomas Hatch pitched four shutout innings in relief for Minnesota.

Robert hit his 14th home run of the season in the eighth, a 427-foot shot to left-center off Tyler Alexander.

Davis Martin (5-9) earned the win. He allowed five hits and two runs in five innings, with six strikeouts and a walk.

Montgomery's first career slam punctuated a brutal Twins debut for Abel.

The six earned runs allowed by Abel are the most allowed in his six-game MLB career.

The Twins have not announced a starter for Sunday. The White Sox are slated to send righty Yoendrys Gómez (3-1, 5.53 ERA) to the mound.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Minnesota Twins' Matt Wallner, right, is greeted by Ryan Jeffers, left, after hitting a home run against the Chicago White Sox during the fourth inning of a baseball game Saturday, August 23, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)

Minnesota Twins pitcher Mick Abel throws the ball against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)

Chicago White Sox's Colson Montgomery gestures after hitting a grand slam against the Minnesota Twins during the second inning of a baseball game Saturday, August 23, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)

Chicago White Sox's Colson Montgomery hits a grand slam against the Minnesota Twins during the second inning of a baseball game Saturday, August 23, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)

SHEFFIELD, England (AP) — It was Georgia's day at the European figure skating championships Thursday.

Skaters representing the former Soviet nation won the pairs gold medal and took the lead in the men's event at the championships, a key warmup for next month's Winter Olympics.

Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava recovered from a fall to win their first European title after silver in 2024 and bronze last year.

The Georgians had the lead from Wednesday's short program and, even though Metelkina fell on a triple toeloop, the rest of their free skate was strong to score 139.80 for a total 215.76.

The two skaters laid on their backs on the ice in relief after finishing their free skate, as Berulava pumped his fists and made a snow angel gesture.

The title defense of Germany's Minerva Hase and Nikita Volodin ended with an erratic free skate. Hase fell on a throw triple loop and tumbled to the ice again when Volodin tried to lower her down from their final lift.

Hase seemed in pain as she waited for the scores, and then stunned to see that she and Volodin had scored enough to stay ahead overall of third-place Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko of Hungary, 203.87 to 202.56.

Georgian figure skater Nika Egadze edged ahead of two Estonian brothers to take the lead in the men's short program.

Egadze scored 91.28 points for the lead after starting his program with a bang, following up a quadruple salchow-triple toeloop combination with a quad toeloop.

That was enough to beat last year's silver medalist Aleksandr Selevko on 88.71 and his younger brother Mihhail on 88.28. Defending champion Lukas Britschgi was sixth for Switzerland.

Estonia is on track for more medals as Niina Petrokina leads the women's event ahead of Friday's free skate.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/winter-olympics

Estonia's Aleksandr Selevko competes during the Men's Short Program on day two of the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, Thursday, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)

Georgia's Nika Egadze competes during the Men's Short Program on day two of the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, Thursday, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)

Germany's Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin compete during the Pairs Free Skating on day two of the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, England, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)

Georgia's Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava compete during the Pairs Free Skating on day two of the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, England, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)

Georgia's Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava compete during the Pairs Free Skating on day two of the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, England, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)