CLEVELAND — Using an opener has served the Chicago White Sox well in the postseason, so they’ll do it again in Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians.
White Sox left-hander Anthony Kay (1-0, 0.00 ERA), who has worked out of the bullpen in two of their first three playoff games, will get the ball first opposite Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams on Monday afternoon.
Chicago leads the best-of-five series after five of its pitchers — primarily opener Hagen Smith and closer Grant Taylor — combined for a three-hitter in a 3-0 win Saturday. Game 3 isn’t until Wednesday, allowing the White Sox to continue with the theme.
“The way the schedule is set up here gives us a chance to go ahead. It’s definitely a benefit to us,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “It’s nice to have these off days, and make sure that we know exactly where we’re at going into Game 2.”
Sean Burke will serve as Chicago’s bulk reliever, but not necessarily as its first man out of the bullpen. The right-hander started Game 2 of the wild-card series at the Houston Astros, allowing three runs in four innings while striking out eight.
Kay was the winning pitcher in that series-clinching contest, retiring two batters. A starter during the regular season, Kay tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings in the first game of the ALDS to set up Taylor for the final four frames.
“We could blame a bunch of things, but at the end of the day, we just got shut out,” Guardians first baseman Nathaniel Lowe said. “(The White Sox’s strategy) is designed to shut us down for sure, but in a sense, I think we shut ourselves down, too.”
In five total appearances against Cleveland this year (regular season and playoffs), Kay is 1-0 with a 1.27 ERA over 21 1/3 innings. Burke went 2-0 with a 1.04 ERA against the Guardians in the regular season, giving up two earned runs in 17 1/3 innings over three games.
“Getting the ball in a game like this, where we can go up to a 2-0 lead and head back home to our fans is going to be cool,” Burke said. “We’re just going to kind of feel out the game. And whenever my name gets called, I’ll be ready to go.”
Chicago had six hits Saturday, but it only needed one. Rookie slugger Munetaka Murakami hammered a two-run homer in the fourth inning off All-Star Parker Messick.
Lowe and fellow trade deadline acquisition Jo Adell agreed that Cleveland’s approach at the plate was lacking in Game 1, which was its first action since Sept. 27. Winning the AL Central title by one game over the White Sox gave it significant rest.
Williams led the AL with 248 strikeouts and went 14-8 with a 3.76 ERA in the regular season. He attempted to stay in rhythm by throwing a simulated game against his teammates Wednesday in Cleveland.
“I’m feeling good, my body feels good,” Williams said. “Throwing against our guys gets them help, as well. Having the pitch count up, acting like we’re in a game, definitely helps out a lot.”
The White Sox had some success against Williams this season, winning the lone decision in his four starts. He had a 3.98 ERA against Chicago, racking up 28 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings.
Also concerning for the Guardians was how ineffective Williams was in his last outing, when the Kansas City Royals chased him after 3 1/3 innings with four runs and five hits.
“Parker and Gavin have been our two best pitchers,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “This is the way we felt like we wanted to line it up.”
–Brian Dulik, Field Level Media
