In their last 13 games, the Chicago White Sox are batting .192/.295/.335 and have scored just 40 runs. For an offense that is sputtering and seeking a spark somewhere in the lineup, manager Will Venable made a significant shuffle for tonight's game in St. Louis. Colson Montgomery is batting eighth for the first time this season, and Kyle Teel is batting second behind Sam Antonacci.
While there will be plenty of attention on how the offense fares against St. Louis starter Kyle Leahy, tonight will be an opportunity for Luis Castillo to demonstrate he can help the White Sox. Sean Newcomb will start, but Castillo is expected to carry most of the load. Or, better put, hoping he can carry multiple innings.
In six appearances since joining the White Sox, Castillo has a 7.52 ERA, allowing 37 hits in 26.1 innings. Opposing hitters are batting .325 against Castillo, which is far worse than the results he was having with Seattle.
Matchup to Watch: Kyle Leahy vs. White Sox Left-handed Hitters
Right-handed pitcher Kyle Leahy makes the start for St. Louis. In 27 outings, Leahy has a 10-4 record with a 3.41 ERA in 132 innings of work. According to FanGraphs, Leahy has a 2.4 WAR and does a good job of leaving runners on base at an 81% clip.
With so many left-handed hitters in the lineup, Leahy will be tested. In 2026, Leahy's fastball has mixed results against lefties, who are hitting .361 with a .583 slugging percentage off the four-seamer. Leahy wants to get into a position to use his changeup and curveball against lefties, as they have limited success generating extra-base hits off those pitches (Eight total).
The matchup to watch is how aggressive White Sox left-handed batters are against Leahy's four-seamer. Or just how infrequently Leahy uses that pitch early in the count.
Lineups
| White Sox | Lineup Position | Cardinals |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Antonacci, LF | 1 | Jose Fermin, LF |
| Kyle Teel, C | 2 | Ivan Herrera, DH |
| Miguel Vargas, 3B | 3 | Alec Burleson, 1B |
| Munetaka Murakami, 1B | 4 | Joshua Baez, RF |
| Andrew Benintendi, DH | 5 | Leo Bernal, C |
| Tristan Peters, CF | 6 | Nolan Gorman, 3B |
| Chase Meidroth, 2B | 7 | Thomas Saggese, 2B |
| Colson Montgomery, SS | 8 | Masyn Winn, SS |
| Braden Montgomery, RF | 9 | Nathan Church, CF |
| Sean Newcomb | SP | Kyle Leahy |
Broadcasts
- TV: Chicago Sports Network or MLB.TV
- Radio: ESPN 1000 AM or MLB App
