Today’s game will be interesting to see how Will Venable manages it. Last night, he had to use his heavy hitters out of the bullpen and won because of Randal Grichuk’s home run. With the Cleveland series looming, the White Sox may have to lean more on the offense to pick up a key series win on the road.
David Sandlin returns to the White Sox from Charlotte and has been consistently getting beyond the fifth inning in his AAA starts. In his last two outings, Sandlin, in 12.2 innings, struck out 20 batters with only two walks and one earned run allowed. In his five major league appearances this season, Venable has allowed Sandlin to throw more than 80 pitches in the last four.
The hope is that Sandlin brings his effectiveness from Charlotte to St. Louis and goes at least five innings, as Trevor Richards, Jordan Hicks, and Bryan Hudson look like the bullpen options. If things don’t go well for Sandlin, Urquidy could be the bulk guy. Tyler Schweitzer was optioned to AAA as the corresponding move.
Pitching for St. Louis is Michael McGreevy. When looking at his season as a whole, McGreevy has been solid for the Cardinals. But after posting a 3.01 ERA in the first half, McGreevy is carrying a 5.68 ERA in the second half, and hitters are batting .297/.350/.493 against him during this stretch. Most of his troubles have been pitching at home, where right-handed hitters are batting .292 against McGreevy at Busch Stadium.
Matchup to Watch: McGreevy’s Changeup vs. White Sox Left-handed Hitters
The White Sox right-handed hitters should expect to see a lot of sinkers from McGreevy today. He throws that pitch 38.4% of the time against righties and pairs it with a sweeper that has very mixed results. When McGreevy gets behind, the four-seamer makes an appearance. For the lefties, they have to be mindful of McGreevy’s changeup.
Since July, McGreevy’s changeup usage against left-handed hitters has picked up, and it’s a results-oriented decision. Left-handed batters only have a .202 batting average against McGreevy’s changeup, with a .263 SLG. If Sox hitters can lay off the changeup, they should be hunting for fastballs, as the average velocity for McGreevy is 91.9 MPH, and lefties are batting .304 with a .536 SLG.
Lineups:
| White Sox | Lineup Position | Cardinals |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Antonacci, LF | 1 | Bryan Torres, LF |
| Kyle Teel, C | 2 | Ivan Herrera, C |
| Miguel Vargas, 3B | 3 | Alec Burleson, 1B |
| Munetaka Murakami, 1B | 4 | Jordan Walker, RF |
| Andrew Benintendi, DH | 5 | Leo Bernal, DH |
| Tristan Peters, RF | 6 | Nolan Gorman, 3B |
| Chase Meidroth, 2B | 7 | Thomas Saggese, 2B |
| Colson Montgomery, SS | 8 | Nathan Church, CF |
| Brenton Doyle, CF | 9 | Masyn Winn, SS |
| David Sandlin | SP | Michael McGreevy |
Broadcast
TV: Chicago Sports Network or MLB.TV
Radio: ESPN 1000 AM or MLB app
