Spread the word — the White Sox are on a winning streak!
Just when it looked like things were as bad as ever or even worse, the Sox have begun to show some life as they’ve taken their season back home to Chicago. Now, after back-to-back wins over the defending American League champions, they’re on the precipice of something unthinkable: a sweep.
In my hurried research, the last instance I could find of the Sox sweeping their first series at home came all the way back in 2004, when they took three straight
from Kansas City in Ozzie Guillén’s managerial debut at then-U.S. Cellular Field. The winning pitchers in that series? Esteban Loaiza, Jon Adkins and Dámaso Marte. Technically, they did sweep their opening series in 2018, though that was just two games, also against Kansas City — and on the road.
The 2004 home opener was the first one I ever attended in person, and I can still picture my view from a far upper right-field corner as chants of “Ozzie! Ozzie!” rang through the stadium. Given that the loudest cheer of this past Friday’s opener was reserved for the surprise announcement of Ozzie’s forthcoming jersey retirement ceremony, this is as fitting of a time as ever to repeat the other part of history from that series.
Just for the sake of Remembering Some Guys, here are the lineups from the third game in that 2004 opening series, which the Sox took home 6-5 in 10 innings to complete the sweep.
What a time to be alive. Here’s the lineup that they’ll use today to try to reach the same end.
Tanner Murray will be making his big league debut at shortstop after the team announced his call-up this morning, with outfielder Everson Pereira hitting the IL due to a left ankle sprain. Murray was acquired alongside Pereira from Tampa Bay last November in exchange for Yoendrys Gómez and Steven Wilson. Murray swung the bat well in Arizona this spring, slugging .692 with three walks and just two strikeouts in 27 trips to the plate. He’s continued to rake in Charlotte, notching two homers, a double and six walks through six games.
Murray’s start will give Colson Montgomery a day off, and Derek Hill makes his first start in the outfield after appearing in five of the first eight games as a late substitution. Call it a reward for Friday’s fantastic execution of a two-out bunt to save the game.
The main arsenal change that Davis Martin brings back with him is a new sinker that serves as his primary fastball against lefties and helps generate all those ground balls. In Spring Training, he employed two distinct arsenals. He comes at lefties with the sinker and a low-80s sweeper, a classic ground ball combination of sinkers in on the hands with sweepers breaking off the outer edge of the plate. Against righties he pairs his traditional four-seamer with a 90 mph slider that has just enough break to be distinct from a cutter. That’s when he uses the changeup as an out pitch, typically employing it with one or two strikes and an aggressive hitter.
Here’s the lineup John Schneider’s Blue Jays will be sending at Davis Martin this afternoon:
Personally, I’d be pretty tired of having to pitch to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. already. Let’s get the win and gear up for Baltimore’s trip into town this week.
First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. CT, and will be available on TV via CHSN and radio via WMVP AM 1000.
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