The Chicago White Sox are about to play their most important game of the year. A win means you're in control of the AL Central with only a couple of weeks to go. A loss means you're playing catch-up for the first time in months.
Let's see if this young team has it in them.
Who: Chicago White Sox (77-74) vs. Cleveland Guardians
(77-75)
Where: Progressive Field
When: 12:10 CT
Watch: CHSN
Listen:ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM
1. Chase Meidroth
, 2B
2. Randal Grichuk
, DH
3. Miguel Vargas
, 3B
4. Tommy Pham
, DH
5. Kyle Teel
, C
6. Brenton Doyle
, CF
7. Colson Montgomery
, 3B
8. Luisangel Acua, SS
9. Tristan Peters
, RF
The Chicago White Sox are making a pretty drastic change for their pivotal series finale. Star slugger Munetaka Murakami will take a seat amid his worsening slump. He's hitting a mere .110 over the last month with a staggering 57 strikeouts. Manager Will Venable is hoping that a day off can help him get back on the right track.
Nevertheless, taking his pop out of the lineup is a bold move. And this is especially true when we consider who is taking his place at cleanup. Tommy Pham will DH and bat fourth after being reinstated from the IL. Acquired from the Phillies for cash at the beginning of the month, he only appeared in one game before going down with an injury. Overall, he has just 10 games played in 2026 at the Major League level. In other words, the White Sox are putting some shocking faith in the veteran.
Meanwhile, the slumping Colson Montgomery will return after sitting Game 2 of this series. He will move over to third base, allowing Miguel Vargas to cover Murakami at first. There is also no Sam Antonacci one night after he took a bad route on the game-winning walk-off hit of the day. Randal Grichuk, instead, will take over duties in left field.
Brenton Doyle will start his second consecutive game in center field, pushing Tristan Peters to right. Finally, Kyle Teel returns to the backstop and will be asked to bat fifth. He has slowly but surely started to find his rhythm, but the White Sox would still like to see a whole lot more as they try to clinch the playoffs.
1. Steven Kwan
, LF
2. Jos Ramrez, 3B
3. Jo Adell
, RF
4. Travis Bazzana, DH
5. David Fry
, 1B
6. Angel Genao, 2B
7. Austin Hedges
, C
8. Petey Halpin
, CF
9. Brayan Rocchio
, SS
Sep 11, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Anthony Kay (18) throws against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
As far as White Sox starters go, Anthony Kay has been one of the most consistent. Does that mean he's been good night in and night out? Of course not, but there is something to be said about knowing what to expect.
The offseason signing isn't going to pitch deep into games, and he is at risk of giving up a fair share of extra-base hits. We've seen him give up at least 3 earned runs in each of his last four starts, which includes forking over 5 runs in back-to-back games.
Still, Kay is among the team's more versatile arms and does have a few strong outings against the Guardians under his belt. In his first meeting this past June, he struck out eight and allowed zero runs to score in 6.0 innings of work. July 3 saw similarly promising results, as Kay allowed only a single run. As for his most recent outing roughly a month ago, the Guardians mustered only 2 runs in Kay's 6.0 innings.
So, oddly enough, Kay might be the exact guy the White Sox want on the mound against their division foe.
The Cleveland Guardians are thrilled to have Parker Messick on the mound this afternoon. The lefty is 11-9 this season with a 2.51 ERA. His strikeout rate sits at 26.0 percent, while his hard-hit percentage is 32.6. Messick is someone who is very good at forcing weak contact and limiting long balls. That can certainly be a recipe for success against this White Sox team.
Unlike Kay, Messick has gone 7+ innings in two of his three games against the White Sox. He hasn't allowed more than 2 earned runs in any outing, and he's also struck out at least eight in two of his matchups. This is going to be one of those games where the White Sox MUST capitalize on the few opportunities they get.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/whitesox/onsi as White Sox vs. Guardians Lineup: Munetaka Murakami Sits? Tommy Pham is Back, More .
