Davis Martin gets a tricky assignment against a Guardians lineup that tilts heavily left-handed, with six lefties and two switch-hitters set to face him.
That matchup stands out because Martin has actually handled lefties a little better than righties this season, posting a .645 OPS against left-handed hitters compared with a .698 OPS versus righties. The split has been neutral over the course of his career, too. Still, Cleveland’s batting order is loaded with the kind of bats that can test that profile.
The Guardians are rolling out Travis Bazzana at second, Chase DeLauter in the DH spot, Kyle Manzardo at first, Khalil Watson in right, Brayan Rocchio at short, Cooper Ingle in left, Gabriel Arias at third, Patrick Bailey behind the plate and Steven Kwan in center. Slade Cecconi is scheduled to start for Cleveland.
On the other side, the White Sox lineup has Sam Antonacci leading off in left, followed by Miguel Vargas at third, Kyle Teel catching, Andrew Benintendi at DH, Colson Montgomery at short, Braden Montgomery in right, Chase Meidroth at second, Tristan Peters in center and Jacob Gonzalez at first, with Martin on the mound.
The other bit of news in the background is Munetaka Murakami, and the picture there remains murky at best. A Rotoworld update saying he was day-to-day to return from a hamstring strain drew a wave of attention, but that report was only echoing other reporting. After the resulting push for clarity, the team response amounted to a fresh non-update.
The takeaway is simple: Murakami looks very, very unlikely to come back before the All-Star break.
In Other News...
White Sox May Try A Surprising Plan With A Top Pitching Prospect
Tanner McDougal is getting close to pitching again, which gives the White Sox another important arm to monitor as they think about how best to handle one of their higher-upside young pitchers. The organization has been patient with the right-hander while he works back from a flexor strain, and his return comes at a time when Chicago is still sorting through long-term plans for its pitching pipeline.
What makes McDougal especially interesting is the possibility that his next step might not be the straight line most prospects take. The White Sox have precedent for easing talented arms in through relief before stretching them out later, and there is at least some logic to that path for a pitcher whose workload still needs to be managed. Whether that becomes a short-term bridge or something more meaningful for his development is the question hanging over his comeback. [Read more 🡒]
Two White Sox Pitching Rehabs Just Became Worth Watching
Two White Sox pitching rehabs are suddenly worth tracking in Winston-Salem, where Shane Smith and Tanner McDougal both opened their assignments with scoreless work for the Dash. Smith handled two innings without allowing a walk or hit batter, while McDougal came back with a clean inning of his own and two strikeouts in three batters faced, a tidy pair of first steps after time away from game action.
For a Chicago club still sorting through arms, the timing matters as much as the results. Smiths return gives the White Sox another chance to monitor a pitcher trying to reestablish himself, and McDougals outing arrives with the possibility that his path back could be shaped by what the organization needs most in the final weeks. The next few appearances should show whether these are just encouraging first reps or the beginning of something more useful for the big league picture. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Could Be Pulled Into A Brutal Crosstown Pitching Chase
The starting-pitching market around the deadline always gets tricky, and this one may get especially awkward on the South Side. The Cubs are looking to shore up a rotation that has been battered by injuries and uneven performances, and ESPNs David Schoenfield has pointed to one of the more intriguing arms on the board as a possible fit. Even with a 4.81 ERA, the right-hander is still being viewed as one of the better available starters, which says plenty about how thin the rental market can be this time of year.
For the White Sox, the timing matters because they are in the same conversation for the same kind of help. Any pursuit of rotation depth can quickly turn into a race, and the possibility of both Chicago clubs chasing the same arm only adds another layer to a deadline that already figures to be busy. The question now is whether the Sox are willing to push hard enough to keep pace if the market starts moving faster than expected. [Read more 🡒]