Still buzzing from last night? Yeah, me too. So let’s just run it back for fun!
Braden Montgomery’s big-league debut last night was just about perfect. The kid showed up, swung big, and helped grab the W in one of the wildest wins of the year. He’s right back in there tonight, hitting fifth, as the Sox try to stack another victory on top of Monday’s fireworks against the best club in baseball.
However, the challenge this evening gets considerably tougher.
On the mound: two arms having monster years,
but all eyes are on the guy coming home. Chris Sale, back in Chicago. Hard to believe it’s been almost ten years since the Sox shipped him to Boston for the Yoán Moncada-Michael Kopech lottery ticket (plus Alexander Basabe and Victor Diaz, remember them? Yeah, me either). Moncada and Kopech were supposed to change everything. A decade later, Sale is still out there, doing exactly what he’s always done, and Moncada and Kopech are long gone.
The southpaw, now 37, is 8-4 with a 2.23 ERA and a WHIP barely over one in 72-plus innings. His Baseball Savant page? Still bleeding red. He’s in the 95th percentile for chase rate, 89th for strikeouts, and 91st for keeping hitters from barreling him up. The slider is still pure filth, making hitters look foolish from both sides.
For the White Sox, the formula is simple in theory and difficult in practice.
Do not chase.
Sale’s whole deal is that he feasts on hitters who can’t lay off junk. Chase Meidroth and Miguel Vargas might be the antidote, since they’ll actually take a walk and grind out an at-bat. The Sox have to force Sale into the zone, wait for a mistake, and pray they don’t end up behind in the count where the slider turns into a magic trick. The silver lining? Sale’s looked a little human lately, getting tagged in two of his last three outings.
On our side, it’s Davis Martin, Chicago’s ace, and built from a totally different mold.
Martin isn’t blowing anyone away with heat. He survives on command, mixing pitches and a nasty bag of offspeed tricks. His breaking stuff is among the best in the league, and it’s turned him into a breakout story this year.
The problem? The opponent.
Atlanta’s lineup is stacked with guys who don’t do pitchers any favors. Michael Harris II, Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson, Austin Riley, the whole crew — they spit on borderline pitches and crush mistakes. Martin’s got a red flag because his hard-hit rate is in the basement, 13th percentile. He’s dodged bullets so far, but against a lineup like this, that’s playing with fire.
Martin’s best shot is to get ahead early. If he’s living in 0-1 and 1-2 counts, he can let the breaking stuff eat. If Atlanta flips the script and puts him in hitter’s counts, he’ll have to serve up the fastball, and that’s a recipe for disaster against this bunch.
After last night’s fireworks, everyone’s eyes will be watching Montgomery for an encore. But if the Sox want to steal another from the Braves, they’ll need patient at-bats against a Hall of Fame arm and another gem from their own rising ace.
First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. CT on CHSN, with radio coverage on ESPN 1000. Hopefully, the weather holds out, and the Good Guys can take a half-game lead on the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central with a win!
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