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Someone buy the White Sox a suit to go with all these ties!
The White Sox tied the Rangers 5-5 yesterday, their second tie in the first three games of spring training. They are set to face off against their division rival Royals today for their first of two games in the Cactus League. The Royals weren’t considered much of a threat at the end of last season but after some additions in the offseason (signing Carlos Santana, Hanser Alberto, Michael Taylor and trading for Andrew Benintendi) they might just be a “surprise.” See what I did there? The game is in Surprise, Ariz. Anyway, with the Sox being the biggest potential threat in the American League, they are due for a win.
Kade McClure is set to make the start for the Sox, with a name you can’t look at without saying it like The Simpsons’ Troy McClure. The 25-year-old was a seventh round pick for Chicago in 2017 and has pitched a scoreless inning with a walk and strikeout so far this spring. His career in the minors has been pretty consistent. In 174 1/3 innings pitched, he’s 8-7 with a 3.05 ERA, 160 strikeouts, a 1.22 WHIP and a save.
Here’s today’s lineup:
A 7-inning game on deck for today's A.L. Central tilt.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) March 3, 2021
Surprise Stadium (Surprise, AZ)
⏰ 2:05 p.m. CT
https://t.co/LPjgS5AGSp pic.twitter.com/LGYAunHN1o
La Russa’s crew faces Royals young pitcher Carlos Hernandez. He saw action in five games with the Royals in 2020, his first in the majors. If the Sox want their first win, they better pounce early. Eloy Jiménez, Luis Robert, and Adam Eaton are all slated to start in the outfield today — a projection of what Opening Day will probably look like.
It’s nice to see Jake Burger down 40 pounds, healthy, and back in action at third base for today’s game. He had his first start since his injury against the Brewers earlier this week.
The game starts at 2:05 p.m. CT. It looks like Jason Benetti and Steve Stone are off, but Len Casper and Darrin Jackson call it for ESPN 1000. MLB.TV will have the game for its subscribers. So, sit back and enjoy all seven innings!