I don’t know about everyone else, but I certainly missed Chicago White Sox baseball yesterday. Well, get your hopes up because the South Siders return to action tonight against Kansas City Royals pitching! Whew!
If tonight’s game is anything close to as satisfying as the opener, then we’re in for a treat.
Oh, where to begin?
- Let’s talk about Matt Davidson. Hell, even Sportscenter surprisingly recognized the White Sox as an existing major league team by tweeting about the slugger’s three-homer game to begin the season. That certainly says a lot. His exit velocities were clocked at 113.9 mph, 114 mph and 115.1 mph. His previous career-high exit velocity was 112.6 mph. Not shocking to anyone, he’s in the lineup again tonight.
- Davidson and the White Sox have a nice matchup against Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Ian Kennedy. Kennedy has given up 98 home runs during his past three seasons, to go along with 482 hits. The righthander did have a good spring, though. He posted a 2.50 ERA in 18 innings pitched without allowing a home run. He now faces a White Sox team that hit six of them on Thursday.
- Lucas Giolito gets the start for the White Sox. Giolito had a great finish to last season and continued his success into this year’s spring training. He had great command of his pitches, and his breaking ball had sharp bite to it. Giolito will be one of the more intriguing stories of the year, aiming to solidify himself as a top-of-the-rotation starter for the future.
- Don’t sleep on Adam Engel. Those two hits and two walks Thursday might not be a fluke (I know, it’s one game ... we’ve been saying that for the past 48 hours, but hear me out). His hands are closer to his body in the batter’s box, giving him more control for more contact. He used the whole field in spring training, and easily beat a questionable pull-shift the Royals put on him in the opener. We all know about his defensive abilities, but if Engel can become an average hitter, he’s a valuable asset to have.
Here are your lineups, including umpires!
#WhiteSox #Royals #Umps pic.twitter.com/JHtx59mJMx
— Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) March 31, 2018