CHICAGO –– One distinct improvement has the White Sox lineup looking different of late.

Before the All-Star break, opposing pitchers frequently attacked and succeeded with fastballs. Against that pitch, the White Sox ranked 29th in MLB in batting average (.213) and slugging percentage (.355) and 28th in OPS (.663) and home runs (29).

The coaching staff and front office had been stressing the need to hit fastballs more effectively for a while, and the team has executed that plan especially well since the All-Star break. Against fastballs since July 18, the White Sox lead MLB with 18 home runs and a .564 slugging percentage. They also rank sixth in OPS (.899) and 11th in batting average (.258) against the pitch.

Manager Will Venable’s club jumped out to a 10-4 record after the break, though they’ve regressed in the win column with five straight losses. But even during the losing streak, they’ve largely maintained their ability to hit fastballs, a notable sign of improvement from earlier in the season to general manager Chris Getz.

“It starts with the fastball. Will’s talked about it. I’ve talked to the staff, at length, about prioritizing getting on time and driving the fastball, and that’s really opened our offense up,” Getz said. “Credit to Will, the staff. But most deserving of credit are the players. They’ve really answered the bell, and it’s allowed us to put up more runs.”

It hasn’t been just a few players carrying the load, either. Thirteen White Sox have a least one home run against fastballs since the All-Star break. Nine have a slugging percentage above .600 and at least one double, and eight have a batting average above .292 against the pitch.

Lenyn Sosa has had perhaps the most success in this regard, slashing .375/.524/.813 with two home runs against 111 fastballs. The sample size for Luis Robert Jr. is smaller at 44 fastballs faced, but he’s slashing a superb .444/.643/.778 in those situations since the break.

For a team that ranked 28th in MLB in home runs against any pitch pre-All-Star break, it may be surprising for some to see the White Sox jump to second in that category since July 18. After all, that’s an improvement from 76 home runs in 97 games, or .78 per game, to 37 home runs in the last 19 games, good for 1.9 per game.

Getz believed this team was capable of hitting for more power, it was just a matter of unlocking that ability against fastballs in particular.

“We knew it was in there,” Getz said. “Unfortunately, it had been dormant. It still goes back to the fastball. If you’re going to put up power numbers, you’ve got to be able to be productive on fastballs. They’ve shown they’ve been able to do that. Hitting’s such a delicate thing. It comes, it goes. I look forward to seeing this ride out for a while.”

Rookie infielder Colson Montgomery has been a big part of that, slugging eight home runs in the last 15 games after not hitting one during the first 14 games. While the White Sox power surge has largely come against fastballs, Montgomery is an outlier in that respect. Just two of his eight home runs have come against fastballs, a pitch he’s batting .105 against.

The White Sox will look for him to improve in that category, like much of the team had to do as well. But the team certainly pleased with the first 29 games of Montgomery’s major league career, especially considering his slow start in Triple-A and reset in Arizona.

Getz said there’s an element of stress and pressure that comes with being a top prospect like Montgomery was for the White Sox in three straight seasons after being selected in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft. But now that he’s reached the majors, some of that weight has been lifted off his shoulders, perhaps helping him put together an impressive run at the plate.

“I do believe that him coming up here has freed him up and allowed him to be the player we knew he could be,” Getz said. “And I guess you’ve got to give some credit to the torpedo bat, considering how often that’s been getting attention throughout the league. It looks like he’s a beneficiary of it, as well. Colson’s done a really nice job on the defensive side, both at shortstop and third base. He hasn’t played a ton of third. He looks very comfortable over there. In the box, he’s a threat at the plate, he’s looking to do damage. It’s really exciting for the organization, and I’m sure Colson is just as excited to be able to be a productive major league player.”