The White Sox and Guardians released their 26-man rosters for this round, and the Sox made only one small change from their Wild Card Series edition, replacing Huascar Brazobán with Tyler Davis.
Brazobán pitched in Game 2, but it didn't go well, as he retired just one of the three batters he faced and needed Anthony Kay to clean up the mess. Will Venable said today that he felt Tyler Davis was a better fit against a lefty-heavy lineup.
"Just Davis, in kind of looking at the roster we expected from the Guardians, which is pretty much the same position player group that we know is very heavy left-handed," Venable said. "They have matchup, switch hitters. And so having Tyler Davis, who is more neutral, and we like a little bit better versus lefties was really kind of the calculus where Brazo against Houston, for example, who is very right-handed was a better fit."
The numbers don't bear that out at all -- Brazobán had reverse splits in 2026, and righties smoked him during the limited sample with the White Sox -- so perhaps that just a nice way of saying, "We still don't like what he's shown us," especially since Davis had fared decently after returning to the White Sox.
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Hagen Smith is starting for the White Sox in Game 1 because it worked out wonderfully the last time, but with off days on Sunday and Tuesday, Venable said that both he and Grant Taylor could theoretically be used in the first three games.
Unlike Yordan Alvarez in Houston, there isn't a foundational figure in this Cleveland lineup whose production more or less drives its effectiveness. Per James, Venable is approaching the Guardians as an exercise in constant vigilance.
“The No. 1 thing as you are gameplanning for this team, is if you give them free bases, they will beat you,” Venable said of the Guardians. “If we don’t catch the ball and we make errors, they will beat us. If we walk guys, they will beat us. If we allow a bunch of stolen bases, they will beat us.”
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Like the White Sox's roster, the Guardians didn't have too many tough calls in putting together their 26-man roster, but they do have some notable absences. First baseman Rhys Hoskins and right-handed reliever Colin Holderman aren't part of the mix due to health issues, with the former battling back inflammation, and the latter dealing with wrist inflammation that is likely to require surgery after the season.
Holderman's absence takes away one of my favorite undercard storylines of the series, which are matchups against Sam Antonacci. Both are products of Heartland Community College, with Antonacci leading American League hitters in HBPs, and Holderman leading the league in HBP rate for full-time relievers (10 over 52⅔ innings). Alas.
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First Pitch: White Sox at Guardians
TV: TBS, HBO Max
Lineups:
| White Sox | Guardians | |
|---|---|---|
| Chase Meidroth, 2B | 1 | Steven Kwan, CF |
| Randal Grichuk, LF | 2 | José Ramírez, 3B |
| Miguel Vargas, 3B | 3 | Chase DeLauter, RF |
| Munetaka Murakami, 1B | 4 | Jo Adell, DH |
| Tommy Pham, DH | 5 | Angel Martínez, LF |
| Brenton Doyle, CF | 6 | David Fry, 1B |
| Kyle Teel, C | 7 | Travis Bazzana, 2B |
| Braden Montgomery, RF | 8 | Austin Hedges, C |
| Colson Montgomery, SS | 9 | Brayan Rocchio, SS |
| Hagen Smith | SP | Parker Messick |
