Game Day Preview: White Sox Look To Avoid Sweep Against Royals

The White Sox have already lost the series, but they hope to salvage a win Thursday against the Royals.

Right-hander Davis Martin is second among White Sox starters with a 3.52 ERA, including a strong stretch of 16 innings with just three earned runs over his last three starts. He takes the mound Thursday as the White Sox look to avoid the sweep. Rookies Chase Meidroth ad Edgar Quero are also back in the lineup.

Though the Royals have won all three games this series, it's been a competitive week from the perspective that each game has been close. Kansas City has won by scores of 3-0, 4-3 and 2-1, thanks to a strong series by the pitching staff and clutch hits by Bobby Witt Jr. The Royals turn to left-hander Kris Bubic for the series finale. He's been one of MLB's best starters this season, ranked seventh among qualified pitchers with a 1.98 ERA.

Here's more information on Thursday's game.

How to watch White Sox vs. Royals

Who: Chicago White Sox (10-27) vs. Kansas City Royals (22-16)
When: Thursday, May 8 at 1:10 p.m. CT
Where: Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
TV: Chicago Sports Network (CHSN). For more information on how to watch CHSN, CLICK HERE.
Radio: ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM
Betting information: The Royals are favored on the money line at minus-250, and the White Sox money line odds are plus-205. On the run line, you can bet the White Sox plus-1.5 at plus-102 odds, and the Royals minus-1.5 at minus-122 odds. The over/under is 8.5 runs, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook.
Weather: At 1 p.m. CT in Kansas City, the forecast is 60 degrees and partly cloudy with a 4% chance of rain and northeast winds at 8 mph. There's a 2% chance of rain at 2 p.m. and a 1% chance at 3 p.m., according to weather.com.

Lineups

White Sox

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

Royals

Jonathan India, LF
Bobby Witt Jr., SS
Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B
Salvador Perez, DH
Maikel Garcia, 3B
Michael Massey, 2B
Hunter Renfroe, RF
Drew Waters, CF
Freddy Fermin, C

Starting pitchers

White Sox RHP Davis Martin: 7 appearances, 38.1 IP, 41 H, 15 ER, 11 BB, 26 K, 3.52 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 1-3 record. In his last start against the Astros, Martin pitched five innings with eight hits, three earned runs, zero walks and five strikeouts.
Royals LHP Kris Bubic: 7 starts, 41 IP, 33 H, 9 ER, 13 BB, 40 K, 1.98 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 3-2 record. Bubic pitched five scoreless innings with four hits, one walk and three strikeouts in his most recent start against the Orioles.

Roster news

Andrew Benintendi has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a left calf strain he suffered in Sunday's game. Venable said Benintendi injured himself getting out of the box and running to first on a fly ball that was dropped for an error in right field. He was not in the lineup on Monday or Tuesday. The White Sox selected Nick Maton's contract from Triple-A Charlotte. Maton played designated hitter, first base, second base and left field in 23 total games for the White Sox this season, posting a .173 batting average.

The White Sox announced six roster moves ahead of Sunday's series finale against the Astros: Infielder Josh Rojas (toe) was activated from the 10-day IL; White Sox selected right-handed pitcher Caleb Freeman’s contract from Triple-A; Left-handed pitcher Tyler Gilbert was recalled from Triple-A; Left-handed pitcher Fraser Ellard was placed on the 10-day IL with a left lat strain; Right-handed pitcher Penn Murfee was optioned to Triple-A; Infielder Bobby Dalbec was designated for assignment.

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.
Matt Quatraro, Royals: Quatraro, 51, is in his third season as the Royals manager. They went 56-106 in his first season, but improved to 86-76 in 2024 with a second-place finish in the AL Central and a loss to the Yankees in the ALDS. He was previously and assistant coach for Cleveland from 2014-17 and Tampa Bay from 2018-22. From East Selkirk, N.Y., Quatraro attended Old Dominion University and was an eighth-round pick by the Rays in the 1996 MLB Draft. He played five minor league seasons until 2002.