Dodgers in South Side of Chicago for three game set with White Sox

After narrowly escaping Pittsburgh with their first series win there in five years, the Dodgers are now in the South Side of Chicago to take on the first-place White Sox. Yes, you read that right, the first-place White Sox. While it is currently just a half game lead over the Cleveland Indians in th

Baseball Zone

SEE ALL

Discover daily

The Wartime Opportunity That Changed a Teenager’s Life

Discover daily

The Pitcher Who Thrived Under Pressure and Made History

Discover daily

Before the Records, Sandy Koufax Was a Raw Talent Finding His Way

What is the story about?

After narrowly escaping Pittsburgh with their first series win there in five years, the Dodgers are now in the South Side of Chicago to take on the first-place White Sox. Yes, you read that right, the first-place White Sox.

While it is currently just a half game lead over the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central, they are taking advantage of the situation that is presented to them. Two years ago, they won 35 games total. This season brought them their 36th win on Wednesday. They are a group of young

and exciting players who don’t really have anything to lose. The ChiSox are coming off a mini sweep of the Braves, winning their first two of the series with the game on Thursday being postponed due to weather.

Old friend Miguel Vargas has found a home in Chicago after he was traded midseason in 2024. He has 16 homers on the season and while his .243 batting average is not high, it’s much higher than his lifetime average of .212.

The White Sox are sending Anthony Kay to the mound, a left hander who is 5-1 on the season with a 4.40 ERA. His ERA in May was 1.95, however he is coming off a clunker of an outing against the Philadelphia Phillies where he allowed six runs in 4.0 innings including two homers. He does not strike out a lot of batters and walks about 25% of the right-handed batters that he faces.

For their part the Dodgers are sending Roki Sasaki, who has been fantastic in his last three outings and seems to be figuring things out again. The White Sox are very good against right-handed pitching however, scoring three or more runs on each of the last five righties they’ve faced. The White Sox do strike out a fair amount as a team, so look for Sasaki to exploit that.

The Dodgers will be without Will Smith, and Shohei Ohtani left Thursday’s game with an inflamed left knee. Manager Dave Roberts did indicate after the game that Ohtani’s removal was precautionary, and that he is expected to be back in the lineup on Friday.