Game Thread: Nationals (12-16) at White Sox (11-16)

Sean Burke has a history of success working as a bulk reliever. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images While yesterday’s extra-inning loss was certainly disappointing, it left little doubt in my mind that this is indeed a different Sox team than the moribund group we’ve become accustomed to over the last few years. Noah Schultz dominated, and while the power surges of Colson Montgomery and Munetaka Murakami have slowed down a bit, other mid-level hitters like Miguel Vargas and Chase Meidroth were there to pick up the slack.

The White Sox now have hitters that as a fan you actually want at the plate in a big situation. Despite an early deficit, they mounted a comeback and fought until the end. Not super-used to that one!

Call it “Ricky’s Boys Don’t Quit: Will’s Version,” and they still have a chance to make it three series wins in a row if they can pull out this rubber match against Washington. Sean Burke will go to the mound as the Sox primary pitcher today, with Bryan Hudson — who has been an excellent and unheralded addition to a bullpen that’s been starved for good lefty options — serving as the opener against Washington’s lefty-heavy lineup, which looks like this today: View Link Righthander Foster Griffin has made a strong return Stateside after a three-year hiatus in Japan, where he ran a 2. 57 ERA over three seasons in the dead-ball NPB.

He’s won three of his first five starts with Washington without taking a loss, working to a 3. 38 ERA over 26 2/3 innings. Here’s the lineup that Will Venable counters with: View Link Even by the standards of the post-2021 White Sox, that’s a getaway day lineup if I’ve ever seen one.