The White Sox are treating this one like the season’s hinge point, because that’s exactly what it is. Chicago and Cleveland enter Sunday separated by a game in the standings, and the stakes at Progressive Field couldn’t be much cleaner: a White Sox win puts them in control of the AL Central with only a couple of weeks left, while a loss sends them back into chase mode.
The lineup reflects that urgency, and it also features a few eye-opening changes.
Munetaka Murakami is out of the starting nine after a brutal stretch at the plate. Over the last month, he’s hitting just .110 and has piled up 57 strikeouts, so manager Will Venable is giving him a day to reset.
That creates a ripple effect throughout the order, with Miguel Vargas shifting to first base and Colson Montgomery rejoining the lineup after sitting Game 2 of the series. Montgomery will handle third base.
Tommy Pham is back, and the White Sox are wasting no time putting him right in the middle of things. Reinstated from the IL, he’s slotted into the cleanup spot and will serve as the designated hitter.
Pham came over from the Phillies for cash at the start of the month, played one game, then landed on the injured list. He’s logged only 10 Major League games in 2026, which makes his immediate placement in a key run-producing spot a notable vote of confidence.
Chicago’s full lineup has Chase Meidroth leading off at second base, followed by Randal Grichuk at DH, Miguel Vargas at third, Pham batting fourth, Kyle Teel catching and hitting fifth, Brenton Doyle in center field, Montgomery at third, Luisangel Acuña at shortstop, and Tristan Peters in right field.
There are more tweaks behind that. Sam Antonacci is not in the lineup a night after taking a bad route on the game-winning walk-off hit of the day, and Grichuk is taking over in left field.
Doyle is starting his second straight game in center, which pushes Peters to right. Teel is back behind the plate and has started to show some signs of settling in, though Chicago still wants more from him as the playoff push tightens.
On the mound, Anthony Kay gets the ball for the White Sox, and while “consistent” doesn’t mean dominant here, it does mean familiar. He’s not a pitcher who’s going to work deep into games, and he’s been vulnerable to extra-base damage. In each of his last four starts, he has allowed at least three earned runs, including back-to-back outings with five runs surrendered.
Still, there’s a reason the White Sox keep turning to him. Kay has had success against Cleveland this year, striking out eight and tossing 6.0 scoreless innings in his first meeting in June.
On July 3, he held the Guardians to one run, and in his most recent start against them about a month ago, he allowed two runs over 6.0 innings. For Chicago, that history matters.
Cleveland counters with Parker Messick, and the numbers explain why the Guardians feel good about that choice. The left-hander is 11-9 with a 2.51 ERA, a 26.0 percent strikeout rate and a 32.6 hard-hit percentage. He’s built to make hitters earn everything, limit hard contact and keep the ball in the park.
He’s also handled the White Sox well. In two of his three outings against Chicago, Messick has gone 7-plus innings. He hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any of those appearances, and he has struck out at least eight in two of them.
The Guardians’ lineup puts Steven Kwan in left, José Ramírez at third, Jo Adell in right, Travis Bazzana at DH, David Fry at first, Angel Genao at second, Austin Hedges catching, Petey Halpin in center and Brayan Rocchio at shortstop.
For Chicago, the formula is simple enough: the chances may be limited, so they have to cash in when they come.
In Other News...
White Sox Lose Veteran Arm As Another Contender Pounces
The White Sox lost another veteran arm Tuesday when the Phillies claimed right-hander Jose Urquidy off waivers, a reminder of how active late-season roster churn can be for a club with pieces other teams still see value in. Urquidy had already pitched for two other teams this season, and even in a year spent moving around, his track record still carried weight because of the playoff experience he brings from Houston.
For Philadelphia, the move fit a roster need enough that the club made space by transferring right-hander Caleb Kilian to the 60-day injured list. For Chicago, it is another small but telling departure from a staff that has had to keep adjusting on the fly, while contenders continue to look at the White Sox as a source of usable pitching depth. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox May Have One Last Infield Gamble For More Offense
With the White Sox still looking for ways to squeeze more offense out of a roster that has spent most of the season searching for answers, Oswaldo Cabrera has emerged as a possible depth piece worth considering. The former Yankee was recently designated for assignment, and his appeal is obvious for a club in Chicagos position: he has big league experience, can move around the infield and offers a bit of flexibility at a time when the White Sox could use it.
The timing, though, gives any move a different feel. Because the August 31 postseason eligibility deadline has already passed, Cabrera would not be available for a playoff run if the White Sox add him, which makes this more about shoring up the present than chasing some larger October payoff. Cabreras recent injuries and limited opportunities only add to the uncertainty, leaving Chicago to weigh whether a low-risk depth move is enough to justify the roster shuffle. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Get A Colson Montgomery Scare At The Worst Time
Colson Montgomery gave the White Sox a scare in Cleveland when he was struck on the forearm by a pitch and later exited with a left wrist contusion. Chicago avoided the worst-case scenario, though, as the club said X-rays came back negative and Montgomery is listed as day-to-day.
Even with that early good news, the timing is less than ideal for a team trying to hang onto its playoff hopes. Montgomery has struggled at the plate this season, and the White Sox can ill afford to lose any more lineup stability while they wait to see how his wrist responds. [Read more 🡒]