Gamethread: Blue Jays at White Sox

Happy Thursday, Sox fans.

Today, the Chicago White Sox will play the Toronto Blue Jays, as they try to get the win to secure the three-game series. A lot has happened in the last 24 hours, and we have had to sit through yet another Rick Hahn injury press conference, as it was announced that starting second baseman Nick Madrigal has a torn right hamstring and was placed on the 60-day injury list.

As we have seen from the other injuries this year, games go on, the team still gets wins, and we still get to watch a very talented, first-place team. The least we can do is keep our heads up right now as we watch the rest of the season play out, and hopefully make some moves at the trade deadline. With that being said, it is important that the rest of the team continues to step up in big ways to make up for these injury losses.

The White Sox are currently have a four-game lead in the division, at 37-24, and are ready to take on the Blue Jays at home tonight.

Let’s take a look at the starting pitchers for the game.

Dallas Keuchel will be on the mound for the White Sox, who currently has a 4-1 record with a 4.25 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. In his last outing against the Detroit Tigers, he went six innings with just five hits, one run, one walk, and four strikeouts. It is important that he continues to do what he does best, which is producing ground balls, against a very powerful Blue Jays lineup. He uses his sinker 38.8% of the time, followed by his changeup (32%). His fastball is his least-used pitch, which he throws only 1.5% of the time. Continuing to have a solid starting rotation will be key for this team moving forward, so hopefully Keuchel can produce another solid outing against a great team.

Hyun-Jin Ryu will be on the mound for the Blue Jays, in a lefty vs. lefty matchup. Ryu has been a very solid pitcher for the Blue Jays in the past, and currently has a 5-3 record, 3.23 ERA, and 1.11 WHIP. Ryu was an All-Star in 2019, and finished in third place in the Cy Young voting for the 2020 season. His last outing against the Houston Astros wasn’t one of his best, as he went 5 ²⁄₃ innings with seven hits, six runs, three walks, and just one strikeout. His most-thrown pitch is his changeup, 28.8% of the time. His fastball isn’t far behind that (28%). Ryu also has a cutter, curveball, sinker, and slider, so you can tell that the talent is there.

Tim Anderson will lead it off, followed by Yermín Mercedes in the 2-spot. Now would be a great time for Mercedes to start heating it up again, to give the offense a bit of a boost. Yasmani Grandal will bat fifth in the order, as Andrew Vaughn will follow. Leury García will get the start in right, followed by Adam Engel. Danny Mendick will get significantly more playing time at second base, as he bats ninth in the order tonight.

Game time is at 7:10 p.m. CT on NBCSCHI. Listen in to the action at ESPN 1000. Chrystal O’Keefe has your Six Pack of Stats.

Let’s go turn things around a bit, and get the series win at home!