Gamethread: Orioles at White Sox

Cleveland’s baseball team beat the Tigers on Thursday afternoon, which means the White Sox cling to to half-game lead in the AL Central. Ironically, about the only non-embarrassing thing about the 2021 White Sox has been the on-field product defined by the first place standing as I type this. Without that, the off-field blunders might just derail the finally-rebuilt 2021 Chicago White Sox.

Anyway, there is baseball tonight! At least I think there will be with a solid chance of rain this evening, but the Sodfather believes they’ll get this one in.

The Sox announced several roster moves on Thursday, including Michael Kopech getting added to the Bereavement list, which means he’ll be out for at least three games and no more than seven, per MLB rules. After the scary tumble he took on the mound in Wednesday’s game, there might be relative relief that he isn’t visiting the Injured list, but thoughts go out to the Kopech family nonetheless.

Right-handed reliever Ryan Burr (memba him?) was called up in Kopech’s absence. Additionally Luis Robert was transferred to the 60-day injured list, while lefty pen hand Jace Fry will begin his rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte.

The Orioles come into Chicago having lost their last nine games, and they are sending rookie southpaw Bruce Zimmerman to the mound to square off against Dylan Cease.

Zimmerman is 2-3 with a 5.59 ERA while Cease, pitching the best baseball of his career, enters the game with a 2-1 record and a 3.18 ERA.

Tim Anderson is out of the lineup for a second day in a row, so keep an eye for updates on that front.

Here’s how they’ll line ‘em up!