A New Opener, Everson Pereira at Lead Off? And More White Sox Lineup Notes
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While no one is ready to call the Chicago White Sox good, is it finally safe to say they are ... *gulp* ... fun!?
This young group has finally found its offensive groove over the last week-plus. Headlined by one of the top home run hitters, Munetaka Murakami, their power in the middle of the order has been no joke. Add in the fiery play of rookie Sam Antonacci and their recent improvement on the mound, and the Sox are starting to look like a team that will at least keep things interesting on a week-to-week basis.
Speaking of which, they now have a fantastic opportunity to creep closer to the .500 threshold. The Washington Nationals have cooled off significantly since their shockingly hot start to the year. Another young team just hoping to enter the "young and fun" conversation, this series will be a good test to see if the Sox can take care of business against a similar competitive.
Game Info
Who: Washington Nationals (11-15) at Chicago White Sox (10-15)
Where: Guaranteed Rate Field
When: 6:40 CT
Watch: Chicago Sports Network, MLB.TV
Listen: ESPN 1000
White Sox Lineup
1. Everson Pereira, DH
2. Chase Meidroth, 2B
3. Munetaka Murakami, 1B
4. Miguel Vargas, 3B
5. Colson Montgomery, SS
6. Edgar Quero, C
7. Sam Antonacci, LF
8. Luisangel Acuña, CF
9. Tristan Peteres, RF
Manager Will Venable is trying something new in his return to The Rate. Everson Pereira has moved into the lead-off spot for the first time this season. The change up comes after a very strong start to the year for the former Yankees and Rays prospect. Struggling immensely to be an impact bat at his last two stops, the potential was always there due to a powerful swing. We've now finally seen that come to fruition with three homers in his first 13 games and a .542 slugging percentage.
Does Pereira still chase his fair share of balls? Yes, but he's making better contact than ever before. Baseball Savant actually has his Sweet-Spot percentage sitting in baseball's 100th percentile. In other words, the ball is consistently coming off Pereira's bat with an optimal launch angle.
With that in mind, I kind of love the idea of trying him out at the top of the order, particularly tonight. Few current starters have struggled as much as Miles Mikolas to begin the season. He has a 9.15 ERA and has already forked over 20 earned runs and 6 homers in his five appearances. The Sox have a great opportunity to get on the board early in this one.
The other thing that continues to stand out is that Colson Montgomery sits in the middle of the lineup. Putting together an excellent West Coast road trip, the shortstop is still trying to prove he can be repeatedly effective at the plate. The fact of the matter is that those stationed above him have been considerably better at either hitting for routine contact or drawing longer at bats. Montgomery has just nine walks on the season and a strikeout rate that sits in only the 11th percentile.
Nationals Lineups
1. James Wood, RF
2. Daylen Lile, LF
3. Brady House, DH
4. CJ Abrams, SS
5. Jacob Young, CF
6. Jorbit Vivas, 3B
7. Nasim Nuñez, 2B
8. Luis García Jr., 1B
9. Drew Millas, C
The White Sox will have to keep a close eye on James Wood tonight. While few have hit the ball as hard as Munetaka Murakami this season, Wood is on the short list. He is currently tied with the Japanese star for the second-most long balls in baseball (10).
Pitching Matchup
White Sox – Bryan Hudson, LHP
The Chicago White Sox will go with a new opener on Friday. Typically choosing Grant Taylor to play this role, manager Will Venable has decided to reward relief arm Bryan Hudson with his first start of the year. Re-acquired off waivers in late March after the Sox let him go following the 2025 campaign, Hudson has been fantastic out of the bullpen. He has a 1.69 ERA over his 11 appearances with 14 strikeouts. The southpaw should also have the advantage from the jump against the left-handed James Wood and Daylen Lile at the top of the order. Expect to see him mix in his sweeper from the jump, as it's been extremely effective against lefties so far this season.
To be sure, this has all come in a very limited sample size (10.1 innings pitched), but we can expect the same thing this evening. Normal starter Erick Fedde will be waiting patiently to step in for the middle of the Nationals lineup.
Nationals – Miles Mikolas, RHP
As mentioned above, Miles Mikolas has been a shell of his former self. Once a versatile arm who would force a ton of groundouts and reduce walks, Mikolas now struggles to do both. He is throwing more balls than ever before, and players are having plenty of success putting his stuff in play. To be clear, he still uses an incredibly deep six-pitch combo and can attack this Sox lineup in many ways. Experience alone could help him against this young group. At the same time, there is no question that the Sox have a chance to start this series strong with him on the mound.
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Elias Schuster is a sports journalist and content creator from the northern suburbs of Chicago. A graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he has covered the Bulls since 2019-20 and previously served as the editor of BN Bulls at Bleacher Nation. He has been the Publisher for Bulls On SI since December of the 2025-26 season. When he isn't obsessing over hoops, Elias spends his time obsessing over practically every other sport – much to his wife's dismay. He also loves strolling the streets of Chicago for the best cozy bar or restaurant to set up shop and write his next article.
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