Game Day Preview: White Sox Continue Road Trip Against Athletics In Sacramento

The White Sox road trip concludes with a three-game series against the Athletics, beginning Friday night. Here's the game day preview, including the probable pitchers, lineups, roster news, TV and radio details, weather forecast and more.

Chicago White Sox second baseman Lenyn Sosa (50) celebrates his solo home run against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

After losing two of three games to the Twins in Minnesota, the White Sox travel to West Sacramento for a three-game series against the Athletics. The series is a bit different than usual as the Athletics are playing home games this season at Sutter Health Park, the home of the Triple-A Sacramento Rivers Cats.

It's also part of a 10-game road trip that includes series in cities across three different time zones – Boston, Minneapolis and West Sacramento. The White Sox are 2-5 to begin the road trip, winning the series finale against the Red Sox and Twins.

Manager WIll Venable plans to use left-hander Tyler Gilbert as an opener for Friday's game, and then turn to Sean Burke, who has started four games this season. For the Athletics, former New York Mets and Yankees right-hander Luis Severino takes the mound with a 3.31 ERA.

Here's more information on Friday's game.

How to watch White Sox vs. Athletics

• Who: Chicago White Sox (6-19) vs. Athletics (12-13)
• When: Friday, April 25 at 9:05 p.m. CT
• Where: Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, Calif.
• TV: Chicago Sports Network (CHSN). For more information on how to watch CHSN, CLICK HERE.
• Radio: ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM
• Betting information: The Athletics are favored on the money line at minus-240, and the White Sox money line odds are plus-198. On the run line, you can bet the White Sox plus-1.5 at plus-104 odds, and the Athletics minus-1.5 at minus-125 odds. The over/under is nine runs, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Weather: At 7 p.m. PT in West Sacramento, the forecast is 60 degrees and cloudy with a 0% chance of rain and southwest winds at 10 mph, according to weather.com.

Lineups

White Sox

1. Joshua Palacios, RF
2. Luis Robert Jr., CF
3. Andrew Benintendi, LF
4. Andrew Vaughn, 1B
5. Nick Maton, DH
6. Matt Thaiss, C
7. Lenyn Sosa, 2B
8. Brooks Baldwin, SS
9. Miguel Vargas, 3b

Athletics

1. Lawrence Butler, RF
2. Brent Rooker, DH
3. Tyler Soderstrom, LF
4. Shea Langeliers, C
5. JJ Bleday, CF
6. Jacob Wilson, SS
7. Nick Kurtz, 1B
8. Gio Urshela, 3B
9. Luis Urias, 2B

Starting pitchers

• White Sox LHP Tyler Gilbert (opener): 6 appearances, 0 starts, 5.2 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 8 K. The White Sox plan to use Opening Day starter Sean Burke after Gilbert. Across five starts, Burke has 21.2 IP, 24 H, 15 ER 9 BB, 15 K, a 6.23 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP.
• Athletics RHP Luis Severino: 5 starts, 32.2 IP, 24 H, 12 ER, 10 BB, 22 K, 3.31 ERA, 1.04 WHIP

Roster news

• Venable commented before Thursday's game on Chase Meidroth's injury. "Checked in with him yesterday, seems like he’s in good spirits," Venable said. "I know that he’s a baseball player that likes to be on the field playing so I’m sure he’s missing being out there but he’s doing good." 

• Left-handed pitcher Fraser Ellard (15-day IL, right hamstring strain) began a rehab assignment Wednesday in Triple-A Charlotte.

• Venable provided updates on injured players Chase Meidroth (thumb), Martín Pérez (flexor strain) and Korey Lee (ankle) prior to Tuesday's game. For more information on their injuries, click on each player's name.

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.
• Mark Kotsay, Athletics: Kotsay, 49, is in his fourth season with the Athletics. He had a 179-307 record across his first three seasons, including two last-place finishes in the AL West and a fourth-place finish last season with a career-high 69 wins. In February, the Athletics signed Kotsay to a three-year extension. He has been with the Athletics since 2015, when he was hired as a bench coach. Kotsay was the ninth overall pick in the 1996 MLB Draft and played for the Marlins, Padres, Athletics, Braves, Red Sox, White Sox and Brewers before retiring in 2013.