The White Sox can do something Sunday that they haven’t done since 2021: go into the All-Star break sitting in first place in their division. A win over the Athletics gets them there outright, and it would also lock up their sixth sweep of the season. If they stumble, they can still get the job done, but only with help from the Marlins against the Guardians.
One thing that won’t change either way: all five of Chicago’s previous sweeps have come at home.
Andrew Benintendi also hits a milestone Sunday, reaching 10 years of MLB service time. That comes with the usual baseball reverence attached to the achievement, plus, as the source material notes, the added bonus of excellent health insurance forever. He already owns the largest free agent contract in franchise history.
There’s also a familiar name on the mound for Chicago. Noah Schultz has been scuffling lately, carrying an 8.78 ERA across his last six starts.
In that stretch, he has 23 strikeouts, 17 walks, and five hit batters in 26 2/3 innings, and the White Sox have only won one of those games. Still, his April 19 outing against the A’s stood out as the sharpest of his big league career so far: 5 innings, 1 hit, 1 earned run, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts, and a home run allowed.
The Athletics’ lineup sends Jacob Wilson to shortstop, Joshua Kuroda-Grauer to third, Shea Langeliers behind the plate, Jonah Heim at DH, Colby Thomas in left, Joey Meneses at first, Lawrence Butler in right, Henry Bolte in center, and Alika Williams at second.
Chicago’s order starts with Sam Antonacci in left, followed by Munetaka Murakami at first, Miguel Vargas at third, Colson Montgomery at short, Andrew Benintendi at DH, Kyle Teel at catcher, Braden Montgomery in right, Tristan Peters in center, and Chase Meidroth at second.
J.T. Ginn is set to start for the Athletics, with Schultz on the hill for the White Sox.
In Other News...
Red Sox Just Put A Dangerous Team's Wild Week In Perspective
The White Soxs week had a little bit of everything, and not all of it came in the same direction. After dropping a three-game series to Boston, Chicago answered by sweeping Oakland in three straight, a stretch that included a 14-1 blowout and Tristan Peters hitting for the cycle. Munetaka Murakami also returned from the injured list during the Athletics series, giving the lineup another layer as the club tried to steady itself after the Red Sox set the tone.
Even with the rebound, the broader picture still left Chicago in a familiar middle ground in the latest power rankings, where Bleacher Report slid the White Sox down one spot. The movement was small, but it reflected the kind of week that can make a team look dangerous and inconsistent at the same time, especially when one series exposes flaws and the next one shows how quickly the roster can answer back. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Just Made A Franchise Bet On Roch Cholowsky
The White Sox used the top pick in the MLB Draft on Roch Cholowsky, making the UCLA infielder the centerpiece of their latest attempt to build something more lasting. It is the kind of choice that says as much about where the franchise wants to go as where it is right now, with Chicago still trying to climb back into contention while leaning on a growing group of young players already on the roster.
Cholowsky arrives with the profile of a future shortstop and a bat the White Sox believe can become a real middle-of-the-order force. The path from draft night to the South Side is still ahead of him, but the organizations bet is clear: if this rebuild is going to turn, it may turn around a player who can anchor both the defense and the offense for years to come. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Hicks Is Suddenly At The Center Of A White Sox Question
At the All-Star break, the White Sox can look up and see themselves tied for first place in the AL Central, but the bullpen remains one of the clearest reasons there is still work to do. Seranthony Dominguez has been part of the inconsistency, and with the deadline approaching, Chicago is expected to keep checking the market for relief help as it tries to protect a division lead that has come with some uneven late-inning work.
Jordan Hicks has quickly become a central part of that conversation. The veteran right-hander, acquired over the winter, has looked like a stabilizing force since his return in late June, and if the White Sox decide the trade market does not offer the right fit, Hicks may end up carrying even more of the load alongside prospect Tanner McDougal on the right side. For a club trying to turn a surprising first-half position into something more lasting, that is a lot to ask of a bullpen still searching for certainty. [Read more 🡒]