The White Sox are back on the field with a quick turnaround, and the first pitch against Detroit is now set for 1:10 pm CT after the game was moved up because of inclement weather.
That timing matters after Friday night’s collapse, one of Chicago’s roughest losses of the season. The White Sox built a 6-run lead early, then let it slip away in front of their home crowd while the Cleveland Guardians beat the Athletics and moved back into full control of the AL Central by a game.
Chicago has shown plenty of bounce-back ability this season, but this stretch is asking for something different. The margin for error is thin, and the next couple of weeks will say plenty about what this group has left.
The White Sox will send out this lineup against the Tigers: Sam Antonacci in left field, Kyle Teel catching, Miguel Vargas at third, Munetaka Murakami at first, Andrew Benintendi as the DH, Colson Montgomery at short, Chase Medifroth at second, Braden Montgomery in right, and Brenton Doyle in center.
Antonacci moves back to the leadoff spot with a right-hander on the mound. Teel gets the two-hole for the sixth time this season, though Chicago is still waiting for him to get rolling at the plate; he’s hitting just .189 on the year. Vargas and Murakami stay in their usual places, with Murakami potentially carrying a little more life in the middle of the order.
Benintendi is back in the fifth spot as the designated hitter for his first start since September 14, when he delivered three hits and an RBI. The bottom of the order brings Colson Montgomery, Chase Mediroth, Braden Montgomery, and Brenton Doyle, and Montgomery’s recent two-hit, three-RBI night stands out as one of his better performances in a while. Venable has mixed and matched that lower third plenty, so the added punch there will be worth watching.
Detroit’s lineup features Kevin McGonigle at short, Hao-Yu Lee at second, Colt Keith at DH, Riley Greene in left, Dillon Dingler catching, Maxx Clark in center, Ben Malgeri in right, Brett Callahan in left, and John Peck at short.
Sean Burke has become one of Chicago’s more dependable arms over the final stretch, though that comes with some limits. His last two outings showed the full range: on September 8, he was tagged for 7 earned runs in just 1.1 innings against the Pirates, then bounced back with 5.0 scoreless innings against the Guardians, allowing only four hits.
On the other side, the 24-year-old Jackson Jobe is making just his eighth start of the season, and he’s been effective. He owns a 3.89 ERA and has allowed two runs or fewer in four of his last five starts. In his last two outings, he’s given up only seven hits total.
Jobe leans on a four-seamer that averages nearly 98 mph and pairs it with a solid slider. He’s not a big swing-and-miss arm, though, and he gets more done by keeping the ball on the ground. That means the White Sox will need to pick their spots carefully if they want to do damage.
In Other News...
White Sox Just Suffered The Kind Of Loss Fans Dread Most
For a night that started with a jolt of free offense, the White Sox ended up walking away with the kind of loss that lingers. They jumped on the Tigers for six unearned runs in the first inning and looked to be in full control, only for Detroit to answer with nine straight and turn an easy-looking game into an 11-8 defeat.
Kevin McGonigles triple helped fuel the comeback, but the other turning point was harder to ignore for Chicago. Center fielder Tristan Peters left with an injury, and from there the White Sox never fully steadied themselves, leaving a frustrating result that trimmed their division margin and kept the Wild Card cushion thin. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Let A Brutal Collapse Shake Up The AL Central Race
The White Sox had built what looked like a comfortable cushion behind Miguel Vargass two-run homer and an 8-2 lead, only to watch Detroit chip away and then completely flip the night. Hao-Yu Lee tied it with a home run, and the Tigers kept applying pressure until they had scored nine unanswered runs in an 11-8 win that suddenly made the four-game series feel a lot more precarious for Chicago.
The most damaging stretch came in the eighth, when Detroit put up five runs and finished the rally with a go-ahead run after a pickoff by Bryan Hudson. What had been a lopsided White Sox advantage turned into another reminder of how quickly a game can change in the AL Central, and now Chicago has to regroup after letting one slip away in a way that could linger beyond just one loss. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox May Have A Sean Burke Decision Taking Shape
A young pitchers strong season can change the conversation quickly, and Sean Burke has put himself into that category for the White Sox. Washingtons reported move toward extending Cade Cavalli only adds another point of comparison for Chicago, where Burkes performance this year has looked similar enough to invite a broader look at how the organization handles its emerging arms.
The White Sox have made clear their present extension focus is elsewhere, but that may not stay true for long if Burke keeps trending the way he has. For a club trying to sort out its next core, the idea of locking in young pitching later could become a more realistic and more important part of the roster plan. [Read more 🡒]