After squeaking out an important series win against the Cleveland Guardians this past weekend, the South Siders look to carry that momentum into a new three-game set against the Cincinnati Reds. Ideally, the Sox can take care of business while holding down first place as the Detroit Tigers and the Guardians bat each other up over the next few days.
The good news is that on top of the wizardry that Mike Vasil contributes to the team, the Good Guys can channel the Pope and those powers-that-be, as 38,000+ fans in attendance on the South Side will be sporting a “Pope hat” from tonight’s giveaway.
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Standing room only at Sox Park? All for this glorious hat:
Pope Leo’s long-time White Sox fandom inspired the giveaway. No, he is not a Cubs fan. | Chicago White Sox
The South Siders have their ace on the mound, as righthander Sean Burke makes his 20th start of the season. Burke ranks 15th in baseball with 144 strikeouts while holding a 27.4% strikeout rate, ranking in the 81st percentile among MLB pitchers. Burke’s excellent extension while walking batters at a lower rate (7.4%) has helped maintain his dominance over the last several starts. In his last seven games, he’s posted an excellent 1.74 ERA across 41 1/3 frames with just a 0.92 WHIP, striking out 57 against just nine walks. The White Sox rank last in innings pitched for starting pitchers, so Burke going at least six innings in five of his last six starts has been helpful to keep a struggling offense in games.
With a lefty on the mound against the South Siders, Will Venable is calling on his right-handed hitters to hold it down at the plate tonight. Chase Meidroth is getting a second consecutive day of rest, so Sam Antonacci will slot in at second base, with Randal Grichuk batting cleanup and playing left. Colson Montgomery is also getting an off-day in the field, locking in as the DH with Luisangel Acuña subbing in at shortstop. Brenton Doyle will also continue to lead off with Meidroth out, and he wasn’t too shabby the other day, even tallying a couple of hits on Sunday with a stolen base and run scored.
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Both Munetaka Murakami and Miguel Vargas remain at the top of the order, and Mune has a 25-game on-base streak going, looking to extend that this evening.
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Chicago White Sox Lineup
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On the mound for the Reds is Nick Lodolo, making his 13th start of the season. Lodolo has floated on and off the IL this season, officially returning to the big league squad today after wrapping up a rehab assignment. The lefty hasn’t pitched since July 11 due to a blister on his throwing hand, so it’s possible he’ll be a bit rusty, which would be best-case scenario for the South Siders. Lodolo isn’t a big strikeout pitcher, only ringing batters up 17.9% of the time, and his 9.7% walk rate is quite high and favorable for a White Sox team that tends to walk 9% of the time.
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Burke’s splits against righties and lefties are nearly identical, though opponents are slugging less from the right-handed side (.337 SLG) than when batting lefty (.392). The Reds are rolling with a righty-heavy lineup, though the power at the top of the order is still something to keep an eye on with Elly De La Cruz leading off. Elly has so far posted an .852 OPS on the season, leading the Reds in that category, but the young first baseman Sal Stewart has driven in 87 runs so far this season alongside 25 homers with a strong .807 OPS.
Cincinnati Reds Lineup
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Now that the storms have moved through, it’s a beautiful night for a ball game with the temperature handing around 80º at game time. First pitch will take place at 6:40 p.m. CT, and you can tune into the usual locations either on TV at CHSN or on the radio at ESPN Chicago AM 1000.
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Now, it’s time for a White Sox win, because we certainly can’t disappoint the Pope.
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