Game Day Preview: Martín Pérez Takes Mound in Series Opener Against Twins
CHICAGO – The White Sox started pitchers with no more than two seasons of MLB experience in the first three games of the 2025 season, but on Monday it's the veteran's turn.
Left-handed pitcher Martín Pérez is in his 14th MLB season, which includes 269 career starts, over 1,500 innings, an All-Star nod in 2022 and a World Series title with the Texas Rangers. The White Sox represent Pérez's sixth MLB team, though he spent nine years in Texas, where he posted a career-best 2.89 ERA across 196.1 innings in 2022.
Pérez signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the White Sox in January, and he had a 2.25 ERA across 16 spring training innings with his new team. He considers Chicago one of his favorite cities, and he's excited to be part of a starting rotation that hasn't given up an earned run through 17 innings across three games.
"Happy to be back in a big league stadium again, and I'm proud to be part of this team," Pérez said. "I think we've been doing really, really good. As a group, the expectation that we had before we got here was really high, and I think we've been doing good to perform. But individually I'm just ready to pitch, man. ... I just want to go far and I want to go deep in the game and do my job and try to get the win."
Here's more information on Monday's game.
How to watch White Sox vs. Twins
- Who: Chicago White Sox (1-2) vs. Minnesota Twins (0-3)
- When: Monday, March 31 at 1:10 p.m. CT
- Where: Rate Field in Chicago, Ill.
- TV: Chicago Sports Network (CHSN)
- Announcers: John Schriffen (play-by-play), Steve Stone (analyst), Brooke Fletcher (reporter)
- Radio: ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM
- Announcers: Len Kasper (play-by-play), Darrin Jackson (analyst), Jeff Meller (pre and postgame show)
- Point spread: The Twins are favored by 1.5 runs, and the over/under is 8.5 runs. The White Sox money line odds are plus-146, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook.
- Weather: At 1 p.m. Monday in Chicago, the forecast is 41 degrees and mostly cloudy with a 1% chance of rain and north winds at 11 miles per hour, according to weather.com.
Lineups
White Sox
- Miguel Vargas, 3B
- Luis Robert, CF
- Andrew Benintendi, DH
- Andrew Vaughn, 1B
- Matt Thaiss, C
- Lenyn Sosa, 2B
- Travis Jankowski, RF
- Michael A. Taylor, LF
- Jake Amaya, SS
Twins
- Byron Buxton, CF
- Carlos Correa, SS
- Ryan Jeffers, DH
- Ty France, 1B
- Jose Miranda, 3B
- Mickey Gasper, 2B
- Willi Castro, LF
- Harrison Bader, RF
- Christian Vazquez, C
News
White Sox manager Will Venable on Sunday gave an update on outfielder Mike Tauchman, who was placed on the 10-day injured list on Thursday with a right hamstring strain.
"Good. I think he's healthy or getting healthy, and on track to go out on his rehab assignment here soon and get some at-bats," Venable said. "We'll see. I don't know the exact timeline. We're still taking it day by day, but encouraged by his progress."
Monday's starting pitchers
(2024 stats)
- White Sox LHP Martin Perez: 135 IP, 4.53 ERA, 1.48 WHIP 49 BB, 107 K with Pirates and Padres
- Twins RHP Chris Paddack: 88.1 IP, 4.99 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 21 BB, 79 K
Martín Pérez previews upcoming start
On how he felt in spring training...
Pérez: "Good, man. Spring training was good. There was a lot of things that I was doing with my delivery, especially, and my last two outings in Arizona felt great. I think it allowed for me to do to come here and help the team win. I think our pitching coaches that we have here are doing a great job, not just to me or with me, but all the group and we have a lot of information they can share with us and how we need to pitch and what we're doing with our delivery. That gives me extra power because it's just something strong when I got people behind me that are gonna support me, and they're gonna tell me you're doing this and you're supposed to do that will be good."
On joining the White Sox organization this season...
Pérez: "There's a lot of talent here. It's an organization that has a lot of history and I know last year was not a good year, but I think how they finished last year, the last two weeks they performed the way they're supposed to do. So to be back here with this group is a lot for me because I've been around in the league for so many years, and I think the group we have here is a group that they want to learn. They want to get better every day and no matter what. These two games that we've been playing we've been going out there and we believe in our staff and we believe in our talent. So to be part of this group is a lot for me because I feel great. I feel that I'm enjoying this. Because the thing is when you have a lot of time in the big leagues, at some point it's going to be a point where you're not gonna feel the same but I still have that passion and I still have that love for the game, for my teammates and I have that love for the competition. It feels good, man, to be here. This is one of my favorite cities too, and I'm happy to be part of this team."
On being the veteran in a rotation with several young pitchers...
Pérez: "I just try to tell them how they need to prepare for each outing because it's not gonna be the same every one. Every five days you're not gonna go out there and throw six or seven, but the only thing I just tell them is if you prepare, it doesn't matter what happens outside. We want to get good results, but if you don't get what you're looking for, we'll be fine because you're prepared for that. The thing is if you don't prepare, what is in your mind and what is gonna happen outside? Their preparation is really good. They know they need to be ready, and the one thing I love is they ask questions. We share information, they're really humble guys, and that made me feel really good because I have starters where I can speak about the games and I tell them I'm not to take any job from anybody. I'm just here to help you guys and help the team."
On the pitching staff's performance so far...
Pérez: "We're doing good, we're doing good. Like I said, we have a lot of talent. We've got good communication. We got good pitching coaches. With our manager, I think the energy we have is really nice and as a pitcher I feel blessed to have this group of pitchers because it's no egoes here and that's really nice because when you have a group, a humble group, good things are gonna come and we just have to wait for that."
On what would make a successful start...
Pérez: "I'm just gonna go out there and compete. My pitches are there, and I just need to pitch, man. I'm not a thrower. I'm not throwing 100. I'm gonna hit my spots, and I'm gonna see what they're trying to do with my pitches and what's gonna be their plan. I'm gonna do my thing too and try to make them off timing to get a chance to help the team win, that's all."
On being a pitcher, not a thrower...
Pérez: "Yeah, because I'm happy, I feel great when I see a pitcher throw 100 like that eighth inning guy [Saturday] was the hardest pitcher last year, 105. That's great, I mean, I have nothing against them. I'm not a selfish guy, I love that. But when you throw 100 and you throw where you want it, okay, now we're talking. But you throw 100 and you don't throw strikes, you're not gonna pitch for many years. I used to throws 96, sometimes 97, like average 94-95, but I think I have too many miles on my arm so I don't have that type of velocity. My last three years I'm just trying to throw strikes, to hit my spots, move their eyes, and I think that's pitching because one of my mentors was Greg Maddux. He always told me, hey, you don't have to throw hard, you have to put the ball where you want it. That was one of the guys who helped me get to the big leagues in 2012."
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.
- Rocco Baldelli, Minnesota Twins: Baldelli, 43, is in his seventh season as an MLB manager, all with the Twins. He entered the season with a .525 win percentage, three AL Central titles and three playoff appearances. Baldelli won his first playoff series as a manager in 2023 before losing in the ALDS. In his first season, he was named 2019 AL manager of the year as Minnesota went 101-61, the most wins of his managerial career. Baldelli played for the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox from 2003-10.
Related stories on the Chicago White Sox
- BOSSARD DISCUSSES RAIN DELAY: Sunday's game between the White Sox and Angels was delayed for two hours and 48 minutes, but head groundskeeper Roger Bossard and his crew got the field in condition to finish the game. CLICK HERE
- ANGELS BEAT WHITE SOX 3-2: The White Sox starting rotation hasn’t given up an earned run through three games, but that wasn’t enough to win the series Sunday as Kyren Paris hit a game-winning home run in the eighth inning. CLICK HERE
- WATCH MATON'S HOME RUN: In the leadoff spot for the first time this season, Nick Maton put the White Sox on the board with a home run off Angels' starter Jack Kochanowicz. CLICK HERE
- MIKE TAUCHMAN INJURY UPDATE: White Sox outfielder Mike Tauchman is on the injured list with a right hamstring strain. Will Venable updated his status before Sunday's game. CLICK HERE
- WHITE SOX FALL 1-0: The Chicago White Sox pitching staff logged another sharp day, but the bats went quiet in a close loss to the Los Angeles Angels Saturday at Rate Field. CLICK HERE
Jack Ankony is the beat writer for “Chicago White Sox on SI.” He has been with the Sports Illustrated network since 2022. He graduated from Indiana University's Media School with a degree in journalism in 2022. Follow Jack on Twitter @ankony_jack