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The White Sox sweep of yesterday’s seven-inning doubleheader brings the 2021 record to 8-8, so today will be the 453rd or so try to get above .500 on the season. Fortunately, they’ll have the right person on the mound to finally get them over the hump.
Fresh from his classic confrontation with Shane Bieber that lived up to all the pitchers’ duel hype, Lucas Giolito will be facing another ace of a staff, but one who’s not nearly as acey and less likely to be classic pitchers’ duelly. Nathan Eovaldi is having a nice season so far, but he ain’t no Shane Bieber.
They’ll be doing the face-off bright and early in the morning because today is Patriots’ Day, a Massachusetts holiday normally celebrated with the Boston Marathon (which has been COVIDed into October), and, for some bizarre reason, morning baseball.
HISTORICAL ASIDE: Massacusettsers claim that Patriots’ Day commemorates the 1775 midnight ride of Paul Revere, not the local football team. However, it is set on the third Monday in April, which falls equally often on the 18th, the date of the famous “one if by whatever” and the 16th, which is Bill Belichick’s birthday. Believe what you will.
Eovaldi sports a 2.08 ERA, having given up four runs and no dingers in 17 1⁄3 innings over three starts, with 14 K’s. The big righthander will face a lineup that has Jake Lamb instead of Yoán Moncada at third base, presumably because Lamb actually managed to get his first White Sox hit yesterday (albeit thanks to a brain fart by Alex Cora, who forgot to put the shift on), soaring his average to .111.
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Giolito will be throwing to a Red Sox lineup that’s missing .386 hitter Xander Bogaerts.
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This will be Yerminator’s last chance to bring the Green Monster to its knees this season, his mighty blast yesterday having gone off to the side of the Monster, not through or over it.
Game time in 10:10 Central. That’s AM. Which, for some, will be the best excuse for morning beers since St. Pat’s Day. NBC Sports Chicago on the boob tube, ESPN 1000 on the boombox.