Gamethread: White Sox at Astros

Looks like the Sox have opted for the progressive pitching staff today, as Ryan Burr opens up as the, well, opener.

Overall, Burr’s stats do not look great but since his return from the IL, he has been lights out. In four innings, he has not allowed a run and has struck out six. According to Pitch Info, his fastball velocity has been better as well. He only averaged 96 mph in a game once before his injury. After, he has averaged 96 mph on his fastball all four games and has seen a .7 MPH increase overall.

Meanwhile, Eloy is back and batting sixth today. Eloy had a brief, five-game rehab stint with a 104 wRC+ — not bad for coming off an injury. With his return to the bigs, Jiménez will look to improve on the 83 wRC+ he had in MLB before going on the IL.

Lineups:

No George Springer today.

Finally, we’ve got SSS’s Ryan Matte down in Houston, attending the opening game and finale of the Astros series. He will be sitting behind home plate, with a sign reading 2005, and other possibilities including:

• Will the real José please stand up?
• Eloooooy Jenkins,
• Yes, we McCANN!

Keep an eye out for Ryan on the broadcast tonight, and any screengrab you make we can work into our recap, or perhaps just as a cool souvenir for Ryan.