Gamethread: Rays at White Sox

Happy Michael Kopech Day, South Siders! While we can’t predict how many innings our esteemed starter will throw today, the excitement is building for at least a good four (but hopefully five). Although it appears to be a gorgeous day in Chicago, the wind has a bite, and the cold will hopefully work in Kopech’s favor.

The White Sox lineup seems to be missing one Jake Burger, much to the chagrin of every fan who likes to watch winning baseball. Maybe Tony La Russa knows a lot of things we don’t, so Leury García is back at second base today.

It should be a full house over at Guaranteed Rate Field this afternoon, and I hope you brought your jackets. The Good Guys are boasting the best home winning percentage in the American League, at .659, since 2021. A win today takes this Tampa series, which would be Chicago’s third series win in a row. Tomorrow, three out of three would be sweet.

Here’s our lineups for this hopeful Saturday:

Randy Arozarena does not look happy about the weather.

Some of us didn’t watch on AppleTV+ yesterday out of principle (or inconvenience), so we will gladly be watching on NBC Sports Chicago + (or listening on ESPN 1000) at 1:00 p.m. CST.

What are your thoughts on Leury García at second base this afternoon? Do you think the Liam Hendriks bobblehead will bring good luck for our Aussie hero? How many innings will Kopech pitch today? The answers to these questions and more, after the jump.