Gamethread: White Sox at Guardians Game 1

Davis Martin is the 27th man today and is starting game one for the White Sox. In 21 innings over two starts and three relief appearances in MLB, Martin has a 4.29 ERA with decent command but a strikeout rate almost 12% lower than his Triple-A rate.

There was not much of a difference between the ERAs of his time as a starter (4.35) vs a reliever (4.22) but since he was sent back down to Triple-A he has 2.84 ERA over three starts. He even had a K-rate near 50% back in Charlotte, so he is coming back up at a high point and seems to have solidified his spot as the team’s sixth starter.

On the bump opposite Martin is a guy who is a bit better and has a little more pedigree, Shane Bieber. He is still a very effective pitcher, a 3.44 ERA and a 2.81 FIP, he is just not the same. His fastball is down about two MPH, and he is relying on his slider more than he has before. That has led to an 8% drop in strikeouts, but he has supplemented that loss with fewer walks. That does not mean he won’t no-hit the White Sox lineup, he just hit that wall a lot of pitchers hit in their 30s, at 27. It still is really working out for him.

Here are your lineups:

Here are the Guardians: