Game Day Preview: White Sox Look To Achieve Best Five-Game Stretch Of Season

CINCINNATI – After a 5-1 win over the Reds in extra innings late Tuesday night, the White Sox are on one of their best runs of the season.

First-year manager Will Venable's club has won three of their last four games, something they've done just twice all season. Both instances occurred in May, beginning with a 3-1 stretch against the Brewers and Houston at the beginning of the month. As a result, the White Sox are 6-6 in May, though they're still in last place in the AL Central at 13-29. On Wednesday, they'll aim to win four out of five games for the first time this year.

Starting pitcher Davis Martin looks to keep that good stretch of play going Wednesday against the Reds on Pete Rose Night at Great American Ballpark. Martin has a 4.01 ERA across 42.2 innings, most recently giving up four runs against the Royals. Left-hander Nick Lodolo takes the mound for the Reds, coming off a six-inning starting with two earned runs against the Braves.

Here's more information on Wednesday's game.

How to watch White Sox vs. Reds

Who: Chicago White Sox (13-29) vs. Cincinnati Reds (20-23)
When: Wednesday, May 14 at 7:14 p.m. ET
Where: Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio
TV: Chicago Sports Network (CHSN). For more information on how to watch CHSN, CLICK HERE.
Radio: ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM
Betting information: The Reds are favored on the money line at minus-225 and the White Sox money line odds are plus-188. On the run line, you can bet the White Sox plus-1.5 at minus-110 odds, and the Reds minus-1.5 at minus-110 odds. The over/under is 8.5 runs, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook.
Weather: At 7 p.m. CT in Cincinnati, the forecast is 75 degrees and partly cloudy with a 2% chance of rain and south-southeast winds at six mph. There's a 15% chance of rain at 8 and 9 p.m., according to weather.com.

Lineups

White Sox

Chase Meidroth, SS
Miguel Vargas, 3B
Edgar Quero, C
Luis Robert Jr., CF
Andrew Vaughn, 1B
Lenyn Sosa, 2B
Tim Elko, DH
Brooks Baldwin, LF
Michael A. Taylor, RF

Reds

Gavin Lux, LF
Santiago Espinal, 3B
Elly De La Cruz, SS
Austin Hays, DH
Spencer Steer, 1B
Jose Trevino, C
Will Benson, CF
Matt McLain, 2B
Rece Hinds, RF

Probable pitchers

White Sox RHP Davis Martin: 8 appearances, 42.2 IP, 48 H, 19 ER, 12 BB, 28 K, 4.01 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 1-4 record. In his last start against the Royals, Martin pitched 4.1 innings with seven hits, four earned runs, one walk and two strikeouts.
Reds LHP Nick Lodolo: 8 starts, 47.1 IP, 41 H, 17 ER, 7 BB, 38 K, 3.23 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 3-3 record. In his last start against the Braves, Lodolo pitched six innings with five hits, two earned runs, zero walks and seven strikeouts.

Roster news

White Sox No. 6 prospect Colson Montgomery has been transferred from the Arizona Complex League roster to Triple-A. He spent about two weeks in Arizona with an emphasis on individualized and developmental work after batting just .149 in his first 23 Triple-A games to begin the season. Assistant general manager Josh Barfield spoke extensively pregame about Montgomery's work in Arizona. To read that story, CLICK HERE.

Outfielder Austin Slater begins a rehab assignment Tuesday in Triple-A, and outfielder Mike Tauchman began his rehab assignment on Saturday. Venable shared an update on them before Tuesday's game. "They're both doing really well," Venable said. "Still, I think we have what we have mapped out, which is kind of through the week to go ahead and play. But I think we just acknowledge that we want to be in touch with how these guys are feeling on a day-to-day basis, and so not putting any hard timelines on anything. But they're both progressing well and feeling good."

Infielder Nick Maton has been sent outright to Triple-A Charlotte.

After returning from a rehab assignment in Triple-A and being activated from the injured list, the White Sox designated Gage Workman (right hip flexor strain) for assignment.

Top hitters

White Sox: Lenyn Sosa: 38 H; Luis Robert Jr.: 19 R, 16 SB; Robert, Andrew Vaughn, Andrew Benintendi all tied with 5 HR; Vaughn: 17 RBI; Among White Sox with at least 75 plate appearances, Edgar Quero leads the way with a .303 batting average and a .751 OPS.

Reds: TJ Friedl: 43 H; Elly De La Cruz: 27 R, 7 HR, 30 RBI, 14 SB; Santiago Among Reds with at least 75 plate appearances, Jose Trevino leads the way with a .307 batting average and an .863 OPS.

Managers

Will Venable, White Sox: Venable, 42, is in his first season with the White Sox and first year as an MLB manager. He was previously an associate manager for the Texas Rangers from 2023-24 and on the coaching staffs for the Boston Red Sox from 2021-22 and Chicago Cubs from 2018-20. An outfielder during his playing days, Venable began his career with the San Diego Padres from 2008-15 and later played for the Texas Rangers in 2015 and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016. He had a .249 batting average in 967 career games. Venable graduated from Princeton University, where he played baseball and basketball.
Terry Francona, Reds: Francona, 66, is in his first season with the Reds. He stepped down from his position as the Guardians manager after the 2023 season, citing health issues. Francona managed Cleveland from 2013-23, winning four AL Central division titles, reaching the playoffs six times and posting a .549 winning percentage. He was previously the Boston Red Sox manager from 2004-11, winning two World Series titles. His first stint as a manager was from 1997-2000 with the Phillies. Francona played in MLB from 1981-90 with the Expos, Cubs, Reds, Indians and Brewers.