The White Sox are back at it Wednesday night against the Pirates, and Will Venable is rolling out a lineup that looks anything but routine.
Chicago and Pittsburgh meet at Rate Field at 6:40 CT, with CHSN carrying the game and ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM and 107.9 La Ley on the radio. The White Sox enter at 75-69, while the Pirates are 72-73.
Sam Antonacci will lead off again, but this time he’ll do it at second base. It’s just his 10th start at the position this season, which makes the move stand out right away.
Andrew Benintendi hits second after going 2-for-4 on Tuesday, and Munetaka Murakami stays in the three spot despite another rough night. Murakami was 0-for-4 with four strikeouts Tuesday, and over his last 15 games he’s slashing .109/.269/.182 with 30 strikeouts.
The biggest absence in the White Sox order is Miguel Vargas. Whether it’s simply a day off or something more, he’s not in the lineup after a strong stretch that has made him hard to take out. In his last 30 games, Vargas is hitting .292/.420/.496.
Randal Grichuk is in left field even though Pittsburgh is not starting a lefty. He’s been one of Chicago’s hottest bats lately, slashing .344/.375/.672 over his last 30 games with three homers and 12 RBIs. Colson Montgomery follows him at third base after cooling off a bit, going 0-for-8 with five strikeouts in his last two games.
Chase Meidroth gets the nod at shortstop, which is worth noting because Luisangel Acuña has usually been the one in that spot when the White Sox go with this kind of setup. Acuña has played in only one game since August 26, and that came as a pinch runner.
Chicago’s lineup also includes Braden Montgomery in right field, Tristan Peters in center, and Kyle Teel behind the plate.
The Pirates counter with Konnor Griffin at shortstop, Brandon Lowe at second, Bryan Reynolds in left, Nick Gonzales at designated hitter, Oneil Cruz in center, Esmerlyn Valdez in right, Spencer Horwitz at first, Rafael Flores Jr. catching, and Jacob Gonzalez at third.
On the mound, Davis Martin is coming off a sharp return. In his first start back since August 13, he looked like the first-half version of himself, allowing five hits, no runs, and one walk while striking out three over 5.2 innings. After Sean Burke was hit hard last night, Martin will need that version again if the White Sox are going to win.
Lake Bachar gets the ball for Pittsburgh as an opener and reliever, a role he’s filled all season. Across 47 games, including eight starts, between the Miami Marlins and Pirates, he has a 3.59 ERA. His longest outing this year has been 3.0 innings, a mark he’s reached plenty of times, so Chicago shouldn’t expect him to work deep if the White Sox bats get rolling.
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