After back-to-back walk-off wins against the New York Yankees, the White Sox don’t get much time to breathe. Tampa Bay is next, and the assignment gets sharper from there with the trade deadline only a few days away.
Chicago heads into Tropicana Field at 57-51 to face a Rays club that has spent much of the year winning with contact, pressure and a pitching staff that can smother an offense. Tampa Bay comes in at 64-44, and with the Cleveland Guardians sitting just 2.0 games behind the AL Central lead, the White Sox can’t afford to let this weekend slip away.
The game is set for 6:10 PM CT and will be carried on CHSN, with ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM on the radio.
The White Sox are rolling out a lineup that looks more familiar against right-hander Nick Martinez. Sam Antonacci is back at the top, while Colson Montgomery slides into the cleanup spot after Randal Grichuk handled that role Thursday. Andrew Benintendi returns after a day off and will bat fifth while staying in the DH spot, and rookie Braden Montgomery remains in right field.
- Sam Antonacci, LF
- Munetaka Murakami, 1B
- Miguel Vargas, 3B
- Colson Montgomery, SS
- Andrew Benintendi, DH
- Braden Montgomery, RF
- Tristan Peters, CF
- Chase Meidroth, 2B
- Drew Romo, C
Braden Montgomery has cooled off a bit after opening the series with three hits and an RBI in the first two games. He’s 0-for-8 over the last two nights, though he’s still been much better since mid-July. The White Sox will be hoping this is just a brief dip, not the start of another long slide.
Behind the plate, Drew Romo gets the nod. Quero was in the lineup yesterday, but manager Will Venable has leaned toward Romo lately, using him in four of the last six games.
Tampa Bay’s lineup is built around making life messy for opposing defenses.
- Yandy Días, DH
- Jonathan Aranda, 1B
- Junior Caminero, 3B
- Cedric Mullins, LF
- Chandler Simpson, LF
- Victor Mesa Jr., RF
- Richie Palacios, 2B
- Taylor Walls, SS
- Hunter Feduccia, C
The Rays have the lowest whiff rate in baseball, the fewest strikeouts, and the second-best team batting average in the league at .259. They’re not going to overwhelm anyone with power, but they keep the ball moving and make the defense earn every out. For Chicago, that means the infield has to be clean from the first pitch on.
The pitching matchup adds another layer. Erick Fedde could be making his last start for the White Sox, with the club widely expected to add starting pitching before the deadline. Fedde has been solid overall with a 4.25 ERA, but he’s allowed a combined five earned runs across his last two outings, and he’s had trouble consistently working past 4.0 innings.
Across the diamond, Nick Martinez has been excellent for Tampa Bay. He’s 10-2 with a 2.45 ERA and doesn’t pile up strikeouts, but he gets weak contact by getting hitters to chase his off-speed pitches. He also doesn’t hand out many free passes, carrying a walk rate of just 4.2 percent.
That leaves the White Sox with a clear task: stay locked in, find the pitches they can drive, and make the most of the few mistakes Martinez gives them.
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Peraltas season has not matched his previous standard, which helps explain why he is at the center of so much discussion. The deal remains unresolved for now, with New York still weighing other possibilities, but the White Sox clearly have not backed off their pursuit of a starter as the deadline approaches. [Read more 🡒]
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Urquidys rebound has also come with a different look on the mound. After injuries and surgeries altered his path, he has leaned into a wider pitch mix and kept a higher arm slot, adjustments that have helped him stay effective as he works through the next phase of his career. The White Sox are still sorting out what comes next, but performances like this at least give them a reason to keep watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Turned Murakami Into A Ballpark Food Debate
The latest ballpark conversation around Munetaka Murakami has nothing to do with his swing and everything to do with what White Sox fans can eat while watching him. Chicago has rolled out the Muneshot, a sushi snack built with the teams concessionaire and packaged with Murakamis likeness, giving the Sox another eye-catching entry on a menu that has leaned into variety as much as novelty.
It has also caught on quickly enough to make the club think beyond a one-off promotion, with the item moving about 700 units per game. The snack comes in two versions and was shaped with input from Murakami himself, which gives it a little more legitimacy than the average stadium gimmick, but the bigger question now is whether this becomes a lasting part of the ballpark lineup or just another creative experiment tied to a marquee name. [Read more 🡒]