The White Sox are sticking with the formula that got them through Game 1, and Game 2 brings another look at the same aggressive postseason approach. Chicago enters Wednesday with a chance to grab a 2-0 lead over the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field, a position that would put them in firm control of the best-of-five series.
Anthony Kay is set to open for the White Sox, with Sean Burke behind him. Kay has already shown he can handle pressure spots in this postseason, working out of trouble without letting the inning unravel.
Burke, meanwhile, is coming off a start against the Houston Astros in which he allowed three solo home runs over four innings. Chicago will be hoping for more ground balls and fewer mistakes as it tries to take Game 2 and head back home with the series edge.
The White Sox lineup is built to attack Cleveland’s right-handed starter, Gavin Williams, with a lefty-heavy group from top to bottom:
- Sam Antonacci, LF
- Kyle Teel, C
- Miguel Vargas, 3B
- Munetaka Murakami, 1B
- Andrew Benintendi, DH
- Tristan Peters, CF
- Braden Montgomery, RF
- Chase Meidroth, 2B
- Colson Montgomery, SS
Sam Antonacci gets the leadoff spot after collecting two hits in this postseason. Kyle Teel bats second despite a 3-for-13 skid that includes five strikeouts.
Miguel Vargas hits third, though he has had some rough moments in big spots and is 1-for-11 in the postseason. Chicago has survived those issues so far, but it will need more from him sooner rather than later.
Munetaka Murakami remains one of the biggest bats in the order after his huge homer in Game 1. He also has history against Williams, having homered off him in 2026.
Andrew Benintendi returns to the lineup after sitting out Game 1 and is 1-for-3 this postseason. Tristan Peters has been one of the steadier performers in the playoff run, going 3-for-9, while Braden Montgomery will try to shake loose from a 2-for-11 slump.
Chase Meidroth drops to eighth, a spot that feels light for a player whose postseason heroics have mattered so much to Chicago. Colson Montgomery rounds out the order at shortstop.
Cleveland counters with this group against the White Sox pitching plan:
- Steven Kwan, CF
- José Ramírez, 3B
- Chase DeLauter, RF
- Jo Adell, DH
- Nathaniel Lowe, 1B
- Angel Martínez, LF
- Travis Bazzana, 2B
- Patrick Bailey, C
- Brayan Rocchio, SS
Williams brings big strikeout numbers into the matchup, finishing the year with 248 strikeouts in 184.1 innings. That means Chicago will need discipline and patience if it wants to chip away at him. Williams also has some postseason success on his résumé, throwing six shutout innings with eight strikeouts in 2025.
In Other News...
White Sox Face 3 Arbitration Calls They Really Can't Get Wrong
The White Sox have plenty of winter decisions ahead, but the arbitration class offers a cleaner test of how much they want to reward progress and preserve value. Miguel Vargas looks like the most obvious keep after a breakout season that changed the conversation around him, while Brenton Doyle brings veteran outfield defense that still carries real weight on a roster trying to sort out its fit. Huascar Brazobn also fits the kind of low-cost, upside bet a team can justify when the alternatives are more expensive or less established.
Still, the process is rarely about the three players a club wants to retain most. Joey Bart, Chris Murphy and Jordan Leasure sit closer to the edge of the roster calculus, where projected arbitration salaries and organizational preference can matter as much as upside or familiarity. For the White Sox, the challenge is not simply trimming the list, but avoiding the kind of misstep that leaves them paying for the wrong pieces while the more useful ones slip away. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Have A New Guardians Threat To Worry About
The White Sox are getting a familiar kind of postseason problem in the Guardians, and now Cleveland has added another power bat to the mix in Jo Adell. Acquired from the Angels at the 2026 trade deadline, Adell made it onto the Guardians ALDS roster against Chicago after a regular season that showed both sides of his game: plenty of punch, with 23 homers and 94 RBIs, but also the swing-and-miss that has long come with it.
What makes Adell especially interesting in this matchup is the way he fared against left-handed pitching. He hit .320 with a .971 OPS against southpaws, a split that hints at a useful platoon fit for Cleveland if it wants to get the most out of him in a short series. For a White Sox club already trying to map out every edge it can find, adding a bat with that kind of split-oriented threat gives the Guardians one more wrinkle to manage. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Playoff Run Has Franchise Legends Soaking In The Moment
The White Sox have carried their early postseason momentum into the Division Series, where a 3-0 win in Game 1 kept them firmly in control and gave the club a chance to enjoy the kind of October atmosphere that can pull an organization together. Around the ballpark, chairman Jerry Reinsdorf has been taking it in alongside special advisor Tony La Russa and special assistant Jim Thome, with the three meeting to watch the games and talk baseball like old allies soaking up the moment.
Thome said the conversations have offered a window into the kind of appreciation that comes with seeing a team perform on a big stage, and he praised Reinsdorf for his leadership as much as he did the club's play. For a White Sox organization with plenty of history behind it, the image of those three figures gathered at the park has added another layer to a run that is already giving the fan base something to remember. [Read more 🡒]