Game Day Preview: Crosstown Classic Continues With Burke, Boyd Starting

CHICAGO – Right-hander Sean Burke takes the mound for the White Sox, looking to bounce back from Friday's 13-3 loss to the Cubs as the Crosstown Classic continues Saturday at Wrigley Field.

In his last start Sunday against the Marlins, Burke had some control issues to begin the game. He walked five batters in the first three innings, including a leadoff walk. White Sox manager Will Venable sees avoiding early trouble like that as a step in Burke's development as a 25-year-old pitcher.

"That's going to be part of having good, quality starts is coming out ready to go and attacking the zone," Venable said pregame. "He's seen on a couple times what happens when that doesn't happen. There's been times when there's been walks and he's gotten bailed out to be honest. That's part of his development is coming out here ready to go and attacking the zone. Great opportunity to do that today."

On the other side, the Cubs turn to left-hander Matthew Boyd. He signed a two-year, $29 million contract with the Cubs before the season, and he's been everything they've hoped and then some. Boyd has a 2.78 ERA, which ranks eighth among National League starting pitchers. He also has five quality starts in his first eight tries. In the three that are not considered quality starts, he's pitched at least five innings with no more than two earned runs.

Here's more information on Saturday's game.

How to watch White Sox vs. Cubs

Who: Chicago White Sox (14-31) vs. Chicago Cubs (26-19)
When: Saturday, May 17 at 1:20 p.m. CT
Where: Wrigley Field in Chicago, Ill.
TV: Chicago Sports Network (CHSN). For more information on how to watch CHSN, CLICK HERE.
Radio: ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM
Betting information: The Cubs are favored on the money line at minus-270 and the White Sox money line odds are plus-220. On the run line, you can bet the White Sox plus-1.5 at plus-112 odds, and the Cubs minus-1.5 at minus-134 odds. The over/under is 10.5 runs, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook.
Weather: At 1 p.m. in Chicago, the forecast is 60 degrees and mostly cloudy with a 0% chance of rain and west winds at 17 mph, according to weather.com.

Lineups

White Sox

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

Cubs

Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
Kyle Tucker, RF
Seiya Suzuki, LF
Michael Busch, 1B
Dansby Swanson, SS
Moisés Ballesteros, DH
Nico Hoerner, 2B
Miguel Amaya, C
Vidal Bruján, 3B

Probable pitchers

White Sox RHP Sean Burke: 9 appearances, 8 starts, 43.1 IP, 39 H, 20 ER, 22 BB, 29 K, 4.15 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 2-4 record. In his last start against the Marlins, Burke pitched four innings with four hits, one earned run, five walks and two strikeouts.
Cubs LHP Matthew Boyd: 8 starts, 45.1 IP, 46 H, 14 ER, 13 BB, 45 K, 2.78 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 3-2 record. In his last start against the Mets, Boyd pitched six innings with six hits, two earned runs, zero walks and eight strikeouts.

Roster news

Infielder Jake Amaya cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A Charlotte.

Left-handed pitcher Tyler Gilbert has been placed on the 15-day injured list with an MCL sprain in his left knee. The White Sox recalled left-handed pitcher Jared Shuster from Triple-A. Will Venable commented on Gilbert's injury pregame: "We've got the two weeks to see how he's able to respond. But beyond that, don't have any information." Venable said the injury is similar but not as bad as the one Gilbert had in spring training.

White Sox general manager Chris Getz provided an update on Mike Tauchman, Austin Slater, Korey Lee and Andrew Benintendi, who are on the injured list. "They are doing really well. Whether it be Slater, Tauchman, Lee, they have been in Charlotte. They are pretty close to being ready to go. Then Beni at some point next week, we’ll start, we’ll make a decision on sending him on a rehab or implement him back into the lineup here. So, we brought in a handful of those guys to help stabilize this team. So we look forward to bringing those guys.

The White Sox announced four roster moves prior to Friday's game. They acquired right-handed pitcher Miguel Castro in a trade with the Houston Astors for international signing bonus pool money; added infielder Vinny Capra to the 26-man roster after claiming him off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers; optioned left-handed pitcher Jared Shuster to Triple-A Charlotte; and designated infielder Jake Amaya for assignment.

Top hitters

White Sox: Lenyn Sosa 40 H; Andrew Benintendi, Luis Robert Jr. and Andrew Vaughn 5 HR; Vaughn 18 RBI; Robert 20 R; Robert 17 SB; Sosa .267 AVG; Edgar Quero .728 OPS.

Cubs: Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong 45 H; Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki 11 HR; Suzuki 35 RBI; Carson Kelly .289 AVG; Kelly 1.056 OPS; Tucker 33 R; Crow-Armstrong 13 SB.

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.
Craig Counsell, Cubs: Counsell, 54, is in his second season with the Cubs after going 83-79 in 2024, finishing third in the NL Central and missing the playoffs. He spent the previous nine seasons as the Milwaukee Brewers manager, going 707-625 with five playoff appearances, three NL Central titles and one trip to the NLCS in 2018. Counsell played for seven MLB teams from 1995-2011, helping the Marlins win the 1997 World Series and the Diamondbacks win the 2001 World Series.