It feels like just one week ago that I was writing up the previous Spring Training matchup against the A’s because it was! This afternoon, the White Sox are coming off a tough 3-2 loss to the Texas Rangers and will look to wake the bats up and bounce back vs the Athletics. Lefty Anthony Kay takes the mound for his fifth start of the spring and has been steady since arriving, carrying a 2.31 ERA across 11 2/3 innings.
Before we get to today’s action, the White Sox have announced the devastating news that righthander Mike Vasil will need to undergo Tommy John surgery and will, unfortunately, miss the entire 2026 season. Vasil joined the South Siders as a Rule 5 draft pick last year, and ended up being one of the top arms out of the bullpen, posting a 2.50 ERA over 47 appearances, racking up four saves with 82 Ks in 101 innings and a 1.25 WHIP.
Kay has allowed just three runs on nine hits in Cactus League play, though one thing that would be ideal for him is to cut down on walks. Despite ringing up 10 batters, he’s also walked six and hit one, but to be fair, he’s easing back into MLB life and has consistently reduced his whip each game, down from 1.71 at the beginning of the month to 1.29. Kay pitched his longest game in his last outing (four innings), and allowed just one run on a homer, but looked good overall with his command — four strikeouts with zero walks.
Looking at the offense behind Kay, Korey Lee has stepped up now that Kyle Teel is injured, and he’s ranked 14th in MLB over the last week in OPS (1.452), flashing his power with a .923 SLG with three extra-base hits — a double and two home runs. Another South Sider that has settled in a bit is Luisangel Acuña, who ranks second in MLB in batting average over the last seven days while slashing .571/.625/.643. However, the headline today for the offense is that Munetaka Murakami is back with the Good Guys after the Japanese World Baseball Classic team lost in the quarterfinals, and will start today’s game to get a few more Spring Training reps in before Opening Day. Mune will be playing first and batting in the cleanup spot, and slashed .385/.385/.538 in 13 at-bats with the South Siders prior to joining Team Japan, though he wasn’t as dominant in the WBC, posting just a .654 OPS with one homer and two RBIs.
Here’s how the White Sox are lining ‘em up today:
On the mound for the A’s is righthander Luis Morales, making his fourth start of Spring Training in his fifth game appearance. Morales has tossed 12 innings so far, but hasn’t had the same success as Kay, posting a 6.00 ERA with 10 strikeouts, while his 1.92 WHIP highlights some of his struggles. Morales has allowed nine runs (eight earned) on 16 hits and has also walked seven batters. Given that the South Side bats were quiet yesterday, hopefully they can rebound and be more selective at the plate this afternoon.
The good news for Morales is that his offense has been excellent throughout pre-season, as the Athletics have the top Spring Training OPS (.875) and the second-highest slugging percentage (.510) against left-hand pitching. On the bright side, Shea Langaliers will not be playing today as he has been ripping the ball, and holds the top 2.317 OPS in MLB with an insane 1.692 SLG in his last five games (13 at-bats), blasting FIVE home runs in that time along with five RBIs.
Nick Kurtz has been an excellent addition to the A’s and posted a 1.002 OPS in his rookie season last year. He will be leading off today, though his stats haven’t been as powerful during Spring Training. Despite his .171 batting average, he holds a .748 OPS in 41 at-bats and leads the team in walks (nine), showing that he will find ways to get on even if his bat isn’t at 100%.
Today’s game can be listened to via the Athletics radio broadcast, but unfortunately, there is no video broadcast for this one. First pitch is at 3:05 p.m. CT — let’s get a White Sox W!
Cavaliers
Bucks
Brandon Miller
Cam Johnson
Victor Wembanyama
Kurt Helin
Vaughn Dalzell
