GameDay Preview: White Sox Excited To Build On Opening Day Win Against Angels

CHICAGO – The White Sox started off the 2025 season strong with an 8-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Opening Day. Sean Burke tossed six shutout innings, and Austin Slater, Andrew Benintendi and Lenyn Sosa each hit home runs.

It was a complete performance from an organization looking to leave a 121-loss 2024 season in the past and build something new under first-year manager Will Venable. That continues Saturday with a 1:10 p.m. CT first pitch against the Angels, with White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon facing off against Angels starter Jose Soriano.

There was plenty of excitement Thursday at Rate Field, whether it was the 31,403 fans in attendance or the good vibes in the clubhouse postgame.

“There was a buzz around the stadium the whole game," outfielder Andrew Benintendi said Thursday. "It’s nice to have them back in the stands and play in front of a big crowd. Today, it’s a good win, but I think it was a breath of fresh air for them to see a win. But now, I think we’re all excited to get back out there on Saturday.”

"It's a new team, a new manager," catcher Korey Lee said Thursday. "Fans were unbelievable today. It felt like a new year. That's kind of the moral of the story in here – flip the page. It's the 2025 Sox, and now we're ready to rock."

Here's more information on Saturday's game.

How to watch White Sox vs. Angels

Who: Chicago White Sox (1-0) vs. Los Angeles Angels (0-1)
When: Saturday, March 29 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)
Betting information: The Angels are favored by 1.5 runs, and the over/under is 8.5 runs. The White Sox moneyline odds are plus-134, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook on Friday night.
Weather: At 1 p.m. CT Saturday in Chicago, the forecast is 64 degrees and cloudy with a 15% chance of rain and south-southwest winds at 11 miles per hour, according to weather.com.

Saturday's starting pitchers

(2024 stats)

White Sox RHP Jonathan Cannon: 124.1 IP, 4.49 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 40 BB, 91 K
Angels RHP Jose Soriano: 113 IP, 3.42 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 45 BB, 97 K

Lineups

White Sox

Miguel Vargas, 3B
Luis Robert, CF
Andrew Benintendi, LF
Andrew Vaughn, 1B
Nick Maton, DH
Lenyn Sosa, 2B
Matt Thaiss, C
Jake Amaya, SS
Brooks Baldwin, RF

Angels

Taylor Ward, LF
Nolan Schanuel, 1B
Mike Trout, RF
Jorge Soler, DH
Yoan Moncada, 3B
Logan O'Hoppe, C
Luis Rengifo, 2B
Jo Adell, CF
Kevin Newman, SS

News

The White Sox announced 10 roster moves Thursday, prior to Opening Day:

Selected the contracts of right-handed pitcher Mike Clevinger, outfielder Travis Jankowski and infielder Nick Maton.
Placed infielder Bryan Ramos (right elbow strain), Josh Rojas (right toe fracture) and outfielder Mike Tauchman (right hamstring strain) on the 10-day injured list.
Placed left-handed pitcher Tyler Gilbert (left knee bursitis) on the 15-day injured list.
Placed right-handed pitcher Drew Thorpe (Tommy John surgery) on the 60-day injured list.
Designated for assignment: left-handed pitcher Jake Eder and outfielder Dominic Fletcher.

Managers

Will Venable, Chicago 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.
Ron Washington, Los Angeles Angels: Washington, 72, enters his second season with the Angels after going 63-99 in 2024 and finishing fifth in the AL West. That ended a 10-year managerial gap as Washington was the Atlanta Braves third base coach from 2016-23 and held various assistant coaching roles with the Oakland Athletics from 2015-16. Washington was previously the Texas Rangers' manager from 2007-14, a stretch that included two division titles, three playoff appearances and back-to-back losses in the World Series in 2010 and 2011. He had a 664-611 record with the Rangers.