The White Sox are trying to finish the job Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium, and the setup is straightforward: beat the Royals, get a little help from the Texas Rangers losing, and Chicago can lock up its first playoff berth since 2021.
After Tuesday’s high-scoring win over Kansas City, the Sox are back with a lineup built to attack right-hander Seth Lugo, and it’s the same lefty-leaning look they’ve been using.
Sam Antonacci gets the first crack at setting the table in left field. He’s been swinging it well lately, hitting .286/.273/.429 over his last seven games.
Kyle Teel bats second, even though he’s mired in a 2-for-22 slump. With October getting closer by the minute, Chicago needs more from the catcher spot.
Miguel Vargas stays in the three-hole after blistering opposing pitching with a .304/.469/.609 line in his last seven games. Munetaka Murakami follows at cleanup after leaving the yard in Tuesday’s offensive outburst against Kansas City.
The most interesting call in the middle of the order comes at designated hitter. Andrew Benintendi is in there despite a .278/.278/.278 slash line over his last seven games.
The matchup numbers help explain it: he has a .580 lifetime OPS against Lugo in 14 at-bats. Randal Grichuk, by contrast, owns a .900 OPS in 10 at-bats against the Kansas City righty, and after Grichuk came within a cycle on Tuesday, his absence is a notable one.
Tristan Peters is back in the starting lineup in center field after getting away with only minor injuries in a collision with the outfield wall. He hasn’t produced much lately, going 0-for-11 in his last seven games. Chase Meidroth slides into the seven spot after driving in five runs Tuesday, and he’s been rolling over his last seven games at .357/.419/.643.
Colson Montgomery bats eighth, and the strikeout watch keeps ticking. He’s approaching the single-season record and has slashed just .102/.254/.204 over his last 15 games, with 28 strikeouts in 49 at-bats. Braden Montgomery finishes the lineup in right field.
Chicago’s lineup against Lugo: 1.
Sam Antonacci, LF 2.
Kyle Teel, C 3.
Miguel Vargas, 3B 4.
Munetaka Murakami, 1B 5.
Andrew Benintendi, DH 6.
Tristan Peters, CF 7.
Chase Meidroth, 2B 8.
Colson Montgomery, SS 9.
Braden Montgomery, RF
Kansas City counters with Carter Jensen catching, Bobby Witt Jr. at shortstop, Jac Caglianone in right, Maikel Garcia at third, Vinnie Pasquantino at first, Salvador Perez at DH, Michael Massey at second, John Rave in center, and Isaac Collins in left.
On the mound, the White Sox are again turning to an opener. Bryan Hudson will get the ball first before handing things over to right-hander Erick Fedde. Hudson has steadied himself after a rough patch, posting a 2.30 ERA with four saves over his last 15 games, though he was tagged for two runs in just 0.1 innings in his most recent outing against the Detroit Tigers.
Lugo, meanwhile, has struggled to keep runs off the board all year. He enters with a 5.06 ERA in 31 starts across 169 innings, and his last seven starts have been even rougher at 7.60. If Chicago wants to clinch Wednesday night, it likely needs the same formula that worked Tuesday: get to the Royals early and keep the pressure on.
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