After taking Game 1, the White Sox are back at Camden Yards with a chance to lock up the series and make it three wins in a row.
Chicago and Baltimore meet Tuesday at 5:35 CT, with the White Sox sending Erick Fedde to the mound against Orioles right-hander Trey Gibson. CHSN will carry the game, and ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM will have the radio call.
Will Venable is turning the lineup over almost completely after Monday’s win. Kyle Teel gets the nod at catcher and will hit leadoff for just the fourth time in his career, and the first time this season.
Miguel Vargas follows at third, with Andrew Benintendi back in the mix as the DH after a day off against a right-hander. Colson Montgomery bats cleanup, and Braden Montgomery is in the five spot in right field.
Chase Meidroth, Tristan Peters, Jacob Gonzalez, and Junior Perez round out the order, with Perez in left field filling in for the resting Sam Antonacci.
Teel at the top is the headline here, but it’s hard to ignore what Antonacci has been doing in that part of the lineup. His bat is out for the day, and that changes the shape of the White Sox offense. Vargas and Montgomery remain where they’ve been most comfortable near the top, while Benintendi returns after sitting against a righty.
Baltimore is keeping things mostly steady as well, though there’s one notable change. Samuel Basallo will catch, which pushes Adley Rutschman completely out of the lineup. Taylor Ward stays at DH, and the rest of the Orioles’ order looks familiar: Gunnar Henderson leads off, followed by Ward, Dylan Beavers, Pete Alonso, Leody Taveras, Colton Cowser, Blaze Alexander, and Jackson Holliday.
Rutschman’s recent slide is hard to miss. He’s hitting .087/.143/.087 over his last seven games, so the Orioles are giving him the kind of reset that makes sense.
Henderson is the name to watch for Baltimore against Fedde. He’s 2-for-6 lifetime against him and has already gone deep once in that matchup.
Fedde’s workload has been a little unusual lately. In his last four starts, the White Sox have used an opener in front of him, and he hasn’t gone past five innings in any of those outings. He worked four innings in his last start against Cleveland, allowing one run.
Gibson has had a rough introduction to the majors, carrying a 5.64 ERA across seven games. He lasted four innings in his last appearance and gave up two runs.
The bigger issue has been control: 19 walks in 30.1 innings. If Chicago wants to keep the series rolling, patience at the plate will matter just as much as the bats in the lineup.
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