Pregame notes: Openers on both sides

Both teams are using an opener on Saturday, albeit for different reasons.

Let's start with the Blue Jays, who have had their rotation thrown into chaos by injuries to Cody Ponce, Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber and José Berríos (pretty sure Pat Hentgen is banged up too) and are in the scramble mode that typically results in this sort of strategy. Lefty specialist Mason Fluharty is opening before likely giving way to a lot of right-hander Lazaro Estrada. The White Sox have responded by pushing all their left-handers down in the order, and while they generally haven't played Lenyn Sosa much in the first seven games, this certainly gave them cause.

"With Sosa going second, we feel like we have some flexibility," Will Venable said. "He's kind of platoon neutral, does a really nice job [against] both lefties and righties. We also have [Andrew Benintendi] on the bench that we can pop there at any time when they do have a righty coming behind this guy, if they do. We don’t know what they’re going to do. But this is our adjustment to their opener, which I don’t think changes a ton for us, obviously it moves [Munetaka Murakami] and Colson [Montgomery] down a little bit. We still feel we’re in a good spot to handle whatever they throw after us afterward."

The White Sox are asking Grant Taylor to handle the top of the Blue Jays order for a second-straight day in front of left-hander Anthony Kay. It'll be interesting to see if any of the playoff series-type effects of seeing the same leverage reliever repeatedly appear here, because Taylor's usage is not about handedness matchups, but shifting the timing of when Kay faces the top of the Jays' order for a third time, if he does at all.

"When you have an opener, or more for the bulk guy behind the opener, you know you’re exposing him to the top of the order only two times," Venable said. "The big thing is, if you’re a traditional starter, the third time that you’re facing the top of the order is probably towards the end of your day. This pushes the end of Anthony’s day to the back end of the lineup."

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As expected, Jedixson Páez cleared waivers after being designated for assignment during the Miami series, and has been returned to the Red Sox. Both the White Sox Rule 5 picks failed to stick, and in short order. Of course, had either looked viable, that would have built more will to just grit through their struggles. Instead they--and the White Sox bullpen--flooded the zone with early signs that the team should focus more on just surviving the season however they can.

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Shane Smith turned 26 on Saturday. He celebrated it by throwing a side in the bullpen that a lot of White Sox employees watched with rapt attention.

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Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk fractured and dislocated his left thumb in the 10th inning of Friday's game. Toronto called up prospect Brandon Valenzuela in response, but Tyler Heineman will start on Saturday after hucking a ball into right field to plate the game-tying run on Friday.

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Will Venable's customary postgame praise for Tristan Peters' walk-off single on Friday came with a revealing statement about his usage.

"Tristan has been right in the middle of everything for us," Venable said. "He’s done a geat job on both sides of the ball. Really good player, finds himself in the lineup pretty much every day here against these righties."

Sure enough, even with the left-handed Fluharty opening the game for the Blue Jays, Peters is starting for the seventh time in the White Sox's eighth game. With all the focus the Sox placed on Jarred Kelenic upon signing him and Brooks Baldwin's strong start to the spring prior to his elbow injury, it's fair to wonder if Peters was Plan A.

"It was last minute when they told me and my wife and I were like 'Oh man, where are we going to end up? We don't know whether to pack or what'" Peters said of the end of his spring. "It was a huge relief and huge excitement, me and my wife were super pumped, and the opportunity to get to play now too is awesome.

The 26-year-old native of Manitoba was told that defense and swing decisions were what the team found attractive when they acquired him for cash in December. All the bunting and small ball activities he's been a part of came along during the spring. With seven hits already, Peters is tied with Bud Sketchley for the eighth-most hits by a Canadian-born player in White Sox history.

This entire section was an excuse to write the name Bud Sketchley.

First pitch: White Sox vs. Blue Jays

TV: CHSN

Radio: ESPN 1000 AM

Lineups: