
Leave it to the White Sox to save all of the dramatics for the end of the season. The South Side offense finally came back to life in Monday’s series opener against the Guardians, allowing Chicago to not only secure a win when it severely needed, but give it the tiebreaker against Cleveland on the season series as the rivals battle through an AL Central division race that is way too close for comfort.
Of course, we as Sox fans can continue to relish even getting to play meaningful baseball games after three (four, really) disappointing seasons, but I’m sure many can agree that coming up short after such an exciting, magical season would be a gut-punch. Thankfully, the South Siders have put themselves in a great position to close out the division race with the tiebreaker, but defeating the Guardians outright is the best way to ensure they can snag a spot in the postseason.
Before we dive into the lineups for tonight’s game, let’s check in on some roster updates. After Monday’s game, the White Sox announced that righthander Tyler Davis was reinstated from the Bereavement/Family Medical Emergency list, but was optioned back to the Triple-A Charlotte Knights. The righty has been mostly solid out of the bullpen despite a rough few outings in June, and in 29 games (30 2/3 innings) with the big league club, Davis has posted a 3.52 ERA and a 1.174 WHIP alongside a .190 opponent batting average. He’s also scoreless in his last eight outings (eight IP) dating back to June 20, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that we see Davis again this season.
The biggest news of the day is that the South Siders have recalled left-handed pitcher Noah Schultz from Triple-A and designated José Urquidy for assignment as the corresponding move. In six games (22 1/3 frames) for the White Sox the righty posted a 2-1 record and a 4.37 ERA, which looks much better on paper than the performance in real life. Despite a couple decent outings, and one incredible performance at Wrigley Field during the Crosstown Classic, Urquidy has been a bit of a loose cannon both as a starter and out of the bullpen. It’s unclear if Urquidy will clear waivers or what the next steps are there, but bringing Schultz up could be key with a struggling starting rotation.
In 15 outings with the White Sox, Schultz had accumulated a 6.06 ERA prior to being demoted to Triple-A, but in his last five starts for the Knights, he’s surrendered just three earned across his 21 2/3 innings with 10 Ks.
As for tonight’s game, lefthander Chris Murphy will be the opener in the second game of the series in Cleveland. The Good Guys are leveraging an opener in back-to-back games, as Davis Martin will own the bulk role on Tuesday. Using an opener while running a rough right-handed heavy lineup in a playoff race feels entirely unserious, but to Will Venable’s credit the White Sox absolutely suck at pitching in the first inning. As a team, the White Sox pitching staff ranks as the fourth-worst ERA (5.58), third-highest opponent SLG (.492) in baseball, and have surrendered the second-most home runs in the first inning of games.
When looking at every other inning, the White Sox hold the 10th-best ERA (3.92), opponent batting average (.237), and opponent SLG (.383). We can’t be sure what causes them to implode so much early, but perhaps we should just stop questioning the opener at this point, especially considering how great Sean Burke was in Monday’s matchup after a horrific outing in the start prior.
Murphy holds a 3.94 ERA in his 31 appearances (32 innings), and has worked as an opener two other times this season. Unlike the dominance that Sean Newcomb has displayed in pretty much every situation, Murphy hasn’t been as strong when used as an opener. While it’s a small, two-inning sample size, Murphy has posted a 13.50 ERA and surrendered three earned runs on three hits, including a home run and a double.
Righthander Davis Martin has solely pitched as a starter this season, holding a 4.05 ERA in 26 outings and 135 2/3 innings. Davis had started to struggled in July, and those struggles persisted into August, posting a 14.63 ERA in three outings before landing on the IL. Since being reactivated this month though, Martin holds a 0.84 ERA in his last pair of starts, tossing for at least five frames both times (10 2/3 total) and letting up just one run, on a solo homer against the Pittsburgh Pirates last week.
Given the left-handed Foster Griffin is making the start for the Guardians, the South Siders are rolling with their right-handed lineup — not their strongest. Chase Meidroth slots into the leadoff spot, essentially swapping places in the lineup with Sam Antonacci, who is batting sixth. Meidroth does hold the highest OPS (.859) among White Sox leadoff hitters, however, and is slashing .273/.359/.500 in 170 PAs.
The lefty-mashing Randal Grichuk will slide into the 2-hole, which is very apt considering his 1.061 OPS in 133 PAs against them, along with nine homers and 21 RBIs. After a bit of a rough week defensively, Colson Montgomery is getting a needed game off, and Luisangel Acuña will take over at shortstop and bat eighth. My one real gripe with tonight’s batting order is that Brenton Doyle is batting fifth in a playoff race, and he should really never bat higher than eighth, if at all, considering how he’s been at the plate.
Chicago White Sox Lineup
Griffin will make his 29th start of the season, posting a 3.65 cumulative ERA across 162 2/3 innings this season. Prior to getting traded to the Guardians, Griffin held a 3.06 ERA in 22 outings with the Washington Nationals. However, he’s not been as strong since being dealt to Cleveland. In his last seven outings with the Guardians, the lefty owns a 5.94 ERA in 33 1/3 innings with a 1.59 WHIP and elevated .299 opponent BA. Griffin is coming off a brutal outing against the Baltimore Orioles in which he yielded eight earned runs, so it would be fabulous if the South Siders could attack early and pile up some runs behind their pitchers.
For the most part, Cleveland’s batting order is similar to Monday’s series opener, though Travis Bazzana will DH today while Angel Genao takes over at second base. Chase DeLauter is also getting a night off after a tough offensive performance yesterday where he grounded into not one, but two identical double plays to bail the White Sox out of some jams. The Good Guys were able to hold off the top of the order quite a bit yesterday, but both Steven Kwan and José Ramírez are known to beat up on the Sox, so it’s still going to be a challenge to keep them from mashing the ball.
Cleveland Guardians Lineup
It looks like it should be a beautiful evening for an AL Central battle, with temperatures in the low-80s and clear skies. We have another earlier game lined up, with first pitch taking place at 5:40 p.m. CT at Progressive Field. Tune into CHSN for the TV broadcast, or listen in on the radio at ESPN Chicago AM 1000. Time to snag a series W.
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