Just a few housekeeping items before we dive into our preview of tonight’s contest. First up, some pitching moves.
It will indeed be Sean Burke getting the start this evening. Next in line, Miguel Vargas is back. Vargas was sidelined with a hand injury.
Yesterday’s game was another one for the trash heap, but at least our South Siders didn’t roll over. They definitely demonstrated some late-game fight, only to be betrayed again by an extremely bare bullpen. Tonight? It’s another shot to take down the Rays, who are fighting for a Wild Card spot. The Good Guys took 2-of-3 from Tampa in July, and it sure would be nice to do that again as well as keep the mojo going to dodge the ignominy of a third straight 100-loss season.
Sean Burke gets the ball for the South Siders, fresh off a three-week banishment to Charlotte that was supposed to fix him. Spoiler: it didn’t. He went 0-3 with a 7.82 ERA and a WHIP that would make your eyes water (1.82) in just under 13 innings. His last outing, September 3, was the lone bright spot as he earned a quality start, tossing six innings and allowing three runs on six hits, with seven Ks, and no walks. Before his demotion, Burke’s season was a roulette wheel — Opening Day, he was untouchable for six scoreless, then he promptly coughed up six runs in 4 1/3 frames his next time out. Consistency? Not in this zip code. If the Sox want to matter in 2026, they’ll need someone who can actually be counted on every fifth day. Can Burke be that guy? He has a handful of starts left to prove it, as competition is sure to heat up in spring training with a crowd of arms, including Drew Thorpe, Ky Bush, and Mason Adams, all returning from Tommy John surgery.
How about those Sox bats? Still humming since the break. Fifth in average (.264), fifth in RBI .249), sixth in homers (73) and OPS (.766), seventh in slug (.442) and OBP (.324). No, this is not a typo. Who’s the company they’re keeping, you ask? The Yankees, Phillies, Jays, and Mariners. All likely playoff-bound, and all legit. The engine here is a couple of rookies — Kyle Teel and Colson Montgomery. Teel leads the pack in average (.313) and OBP (.391), second in OPS (.906) and WRC+ (151) since the break. And Montgomery? Oh, he’s just mashing: 18 bombs, 45 RBIs.
The Rays counter with Griffin Jax, a reliever pressed into opener duty for what looks like a bullpen scramble. Tampa acquired him from the Twins at the deadline for Taj Bradley, and he’s been a bit of a mess since coming over, going 0-2, with a 6.30 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in August. This is his second go as an opener, with Ryan Pepiot shelved by fatigue.
Here’s how Will Venable lines them up, hoping to feast on a Rays staff running on empty.
And Kevin Cash puts up his lineup, ready to see if Burke’s Charlotte reset actually did anything.
First pitch at 6:40 on CHSN, now on Comcast, DIRECTV, and Fubo. No TV? Let Len Kasper and DJ paint the picture on ESPN 1000.
