The Chicago offense exploded in its 10-3 series-opening win on Monday, knocking veteran Jacob deGrom around for five runs in the process. Which means the White Sox pitching needs to be extra good today, since their bats will probably only scrape up a couple runs on somewhere between three and six hits, as that seems to be the trend in games following a double-digit beatdown like that. I’d prefer it if they proved me wrong, however, so that southpaw Noah Schultz can get some run support.
While the
Good Guys still hold a one-game lead in the AL Central, last night’s game caused a scare after both Kyle Teel and Colson Montgomery exited the game early with an injury. Colson fouled a ball off his shin late in the game, but finished the plate appearance before Luisangel Acuña took over at shortstop. Colson’s injury didn’t appear to be serious, and he expressed to the media that he would likely be back in the lineup this week. Unfortunately for Kyle, however, as MLB’s Scott Merkin noted: “Teel was on crutches postgame and will almost certainly be moved to the injured list.” Sure enough, the Sox placed Teel on the IL today and called Edgar Quero back up from Triple-A Charlotte as a corresponding move.
In 15 games (61 at-bats) with the Knights, Quero is slashing .230/.299/.295 with a double, a homer, six RBIs, four walks, and 11 strikeouts. Edgar struggled for the first half with the South Siders, posting a .486 OPS and .187 batting average while also ranking as a poor defensive catcher with a 46% ABS challenge win percentage. He will still forever be the hero of the 2026 home series in the Crosstown Classic. With the trade deadline on the horizon, it’s clear that the Good Guys need some assistance with pitching if they are going to try to contend this season, but it’s possible we have a new need: a solid catcher that can (ideally) hit for power.
Noah Schultz is making his 12th start of the season and has posted a 5.60 ERA in 53 innings with a 1.358 WHIP. He’s shown flashes of frontline potential, but there have also been outings where his control issues have been more evident. Schultz’s 12.6% walk rate is in the bottom 11% among MLB pitchers, and though he has 47 Ks on the season, he’s not getting batters to chase or whiff much at his pitches. He is also only 22 years old in his rookie season, and while it would be incredible for him to be an elite pitcher right out of the gate, he’s also learning and adapting as he continues to face MLB hitters.
Outside of Colson Montgomery sitting out, we have a fairly typical lineup tonight with Sam Antonacci, Munetaka Murakami, and Miguel Vargas leading off at the top of the order. The Montgomerys are swapping in the lineup, as Braden moves into the cleanup spot, and with Teel out, Drew Romo will remain behind the plate tonight.
The South Siders will face righthander Kumar Rocker, looking to tee off and help Schultz early on. Rocker is making his 17th start of the season, and in 90 innings, he’s posted a 2-8 record with a 4.40 ERA and 1.367 WHIP. The righty can force a decent amount of ground balls to his advantage (45.1% GB%) and has great extension, but opponents own a .295 BABIP with a .430 slugging percentage, and it would be great if the Good Guys could take advantage of some of those weaknesses.
The top of Texas’ order has been productive all season, with each of the first three hitters carrying an OPS above .800, with second baseman Justin Foscue leading the team with an .871 OPS. Our forever White Sox friend, Jake Burger, is batting fifth and has the most home runs this season among the Rangers starters tonight with 17, and while we’ll always root for him, I’d rather him not hit his 18th tonight (sorry, Jake).
Tune into CHSN at 7:05 p.m. CDT as the South Siders look to jump on Texas early. You can also listen in on ESPN Chicago AM 1000. The Sox have a chance to lock up the series and make it three straight victories.
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