Pregame notes: The lineups look weird when they face lefty starters

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The White Sox are facing Royals left-hander Kris Bubic on Friday night.

Still gets me every time.

While Chris Getz & Co. have emphasized lineup balance, that's mostly taken the form of prioritizing adding lefties--a response to where the 2020-2023 White Sox offenses fell short. Their current attack against left-handers feels like it's missing something.

Braden Montgomery? Caleb Bonemer? Roch Cholowsky?

All good answers, but in the immediate, injuries to Austin Hays and Everson Pereira that make the final third of the order feel like something that was completely unpredictable on Jan. 1, or other than Luisangel Acuna, even a month ago.

"It’s tough, and Haysee brings so much to this team," Will Venable said. "The experience that he has, he can hit lefties, he can hit righties. He plays solid defense. He’s just a veteran out there. So replacing him is not easy. We really like what we’re able to do, especially with Dustin Harris against the righties, goes out there and plays solid defense, controls the zone, can run the bases.

We’ve thrown [Andrew Benintendi] out there as well, we know Beni can handle the position and do all the things asked of that job. And then we get to see Tanner [Murray] today. We know he’s obviously a really good defender out there, I haven’t seen it in the outfield. He’s been running around the last couple of days preparing for this. He’s spent lots of time in the outfield before, so excited to see that. We’ve pieced it together, but feel really good about the replacements."

⚙️⚙️⚙️

"Those guys like to chirp a little bit it, seems like," Anthony Kay said Thursday night about a staredown he received after hitting Jac Caglianone with a pitch in the sixth inning. "I don’t think we are going to take that anymore. We are going to go right at them."

Certainly an interestingly pointed comment about a small moment of Thursday's game, and efforts to establish whether this is a thing between the teams have return mixed results. Hell, apparently it wasn't even a hit by pitch, even though it was scored as such.

"Everybody says that I got hit, but I didn't get hit," said Caglianone, who may have just been doing a work. "Honestly, for me, I wasn't, like, mad at him. I was like, dude, we weren't swinging it well, and maybe this would be like a spark for the guys. I wasn't sitting there thinking that he was doing it on purpose; there was a guy on first.
I was just moreso trying to be like, a little spark plug, see if I could get the guys fired up, get something going. But I saw what he said last night, and I was just like, it's not that deep."

Venable, who seems at peace at all times, does not sense tension between the clubs.

"Not that I know of," Venable said. "It looked like some of the guys had a problem with Caglianone getting hit yesterday, which can assure it was not intentional. I don’t know what prompted his response. No tension that I’m picking up on. If there’s something on there’s side, I don’t know, I’ve got nothing there."

One thing everyone can agree on is that the winning pitcher talking smack always seems and feels cool.

"For sure, that’s part of it," Venable said. "He takes pride on being on this team, he’s going to have all the guys’ backs. I love that response."

⚙️⚙️⚙️

Venable said it's still to be determined who will start for the White Sox on Sunday, when Kyle Teel will begin his rehab assignment, or if Grant Taylor will work more in high-leverage or as an opener in the future. Your nagging questions were asked, they just weren't answered.

"It’s been a topic of conversation the last couple of days," Venable said of Taylor's usage. "I just like when Grant pitches."

First pitch: White Sox at Royals

TV: CHSN+

Radio: ESPN 1000 AM

Lineups: