The White Sox have maximized usage of the cushion that winning the first two games of the ALDS afforded them, and now they have to end this two-game skid against the Guardians for the privilege of flying to St. Petersburg and opening the ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday, or else their season is over.
For the White Sox, it's Sean Burke, and Will Venable identifying Sean Newcomb (of course) and Grant Taylor (ehh...) as prominent parts of the bullpen support. While Taylor failed to retire any of the six hitters he faced on Thursday, Venable isn't deemphasizing him, saying before the game:
"I don't think anyone wanted that last outing to go like that. But I think that the belief in Grant-- I should rephrase that. Not I think, my belief in Grant is as high as it's ever been.
"He has been our guy the entire year. He's the guy every single game in which we are in a tough spot that we put in when he's available. And when he's not available, we wish he was. And so that's not going to change today just because of one outing.
"We know that they're having really good at-bats against Grant, and there's going to be adjustments that he's going to have to make from hitter to hitter. He's going to go to work on that and be in a good spot to go out and get the job done tonight."
If it were up to me, I'd be using Taylor after Newcomb and Jordan Hicks because he's looked so gettable. Either way, the Sox will probably need more than two relievers, so the point is likely moot.
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As for the lineup, we're on the same wavelength as far as the outfield. On Friday, I suggested trying something else in right field since Braden Montgomery was 1-for-15 with nine strikeouts, and sure enough, Tristan Peters in starting in right field, with Brenton Doyle in center and Sam Antonacci in left.
Venable made the conversation more about rewarding Doyle's play than mitigating Montgomery's issues, and said with the number of substitutions in play, nobody is ever truly riding the bench.
Now the chief concern is Andrew Benintendi in the fifth spot, because look at his swings at Gavin Williams this series:
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Josh and I recorded our pregame show before lineups came out, so my wish of having a buffer between Miguel Vargas and Munetaka Murakami went unheeded, but you can hear our first-guessing of his potential selections, our picks to click, and our predictions for the outcome.
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On Cleveland's side, Stephen Vogt made his own outfielder swap by sitting Angel Martínez in favor of Petey Halpin. Martínez is 0-for-15 this series, which made Anthony Kay's HBP to kickstart that six-run sixth such an own goal.
This is the 18th and final meeting between the White Sox and Guardians this season, but it doesn't seem like familiarity is breeding contempt here, at least between the managers per Vogt:
We had a moment after Game 4 where we ran into each other in the hallway and kind of shared like, of course, we're going to play five games. So yeah, just catch eyes when he goes back and forth. I just look at him like "what else is new," and he kind of does the same thing to me. I always enjoy little interactions like that even in game. I have so much respect for Will.
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First Pitch: White Sox at Guardians
TV: TBS and HBO Max
Lineups:
| White Sox | Guardians | |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Antonacci, LF | 1 | Steven Kwan, LF |
| Kyle Teel, C | 2 | José Ramírez, 3B |
| Miguel Vargas, 3B | 3 | Chase DeLauter, RF |
| Munetaka Murakami, 1B | 4 | Jo Adell, DH |
| Andrew Benintendi, DH | 5 | Nathaniel Lowe, 1B |
| Tristan Peters, RF | 6 | Travis Bazzana, 2B |
| Chase Meidorth, 2B | 7 | Patrick Bailey, C |
| Colson Montgomery, SS | 8 | Petey Halpin, CF |
| Brenton Doyle, CF | 9 | Brayan Rocchio, SS |
| Sean Burke | SP | Gavin Williams |
