Game Day Preview: White Sox Travel To Detroit For First Road Series

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After beginning the season with a six-game homestand, it's time to hit the road.
The White Sox embark on a six-game road trip with a series against the Detroit Tigers beginning on Friday, followed by a series against the fellow AL Central foe Cleveland Guardians. In their first season under manager Will Venable, the White Sox went 1-2 in each of their first two series against the Los Angeles Angels and Minnesota Twins.
The Tigers are off to similar start, getting swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers and taking two of three games against the Seattle Mariners during their West Coast road trip. Riley Greene and Spencer Torkekson lead the Tigers with eight and seven hits, respectively, while Andrew Benintendi has powered the White Sox lineup with two home runs.
Here's more information on Friday's game.
How to watch White Sox vs. Tigers
- Who: Chicago White Sox (2-4) at Detroit Tigers (2-4)
- When: Friday, April 4 at 1:10 p.m. ET
- Where: Comerica Park in Detroit, Mich.
- TV: Chicago Sports Network (CHSN). For more information on how to access CHSN, CLICK HERE.
- 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)
- Point spread: The Tigers are favored by 1.5 runs, and the over/under is seven. The White Sox money line odds are plus-205, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook.
- Weather: At 1 p.m. ET in Detroit, the forecast is 50 degrees and partly cloudy with a 0% chance of rain and east-northeast winds at 9 miles per hour, according to weather.com.
Lineups
White Sox
- Miguel Vargas, 3B
- Luis Robert Jr., CF
- Andrew Benintendi, LF
- Andrew Vaughn, 1B
- Nick Maton, DH
- Lenyn Sosa, 2B
- Matt Thaiss, C
- Brooks Baldwin, SS
- Travis Jankowski, RF
Tigers
- Justyn-Henry Malloy, DH
- Kerry Carpenter, LF
- Riley Greene, CF
- Spencer Torkelson, 1B
- Colt Keith, 2B
- Zach McKinstry, RF
- Dillon Dingler, C
- Trey Sweeney, SS
- Javier Báez, 3B
Friday's starting pitchers
- White Sox RHP Jonathan Cannon: 5 IP 4 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
- Tigers RHP Jack Flaherty: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
News
White Sox starting pitcher Sean Burke took a 108.4 mile-per-hour line drive off the back of his right knee on Wednesday, but he remained in the game. Venable does not expect it to require imaging.
“I think he’s going to be pretty sore,” Venable said. “But we were in constant communication with him. He battled through it and did a good job.”
“Good. I don’t think it’s anything too serious,” Burke said. “Probably just be sore for a couple of days. Not worried about it too much.”
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.
- A.J. Hinch, Detroit Tigers: Hinch, 50, is in his fifth season with Tigers. He had a 307-341 record in his first four seasons with one play off appearance. The Tigers lost to the Guardians in the 2024 ALDS after winning 86 games, the most in Hinch's tenure in Detroit. Hinch was previously the Houston Astros' manager from 2015-19, posting a .594 win percentage with a World Series title in 2019, four playoff appearances and a 28-22 playoff record. The Astros fired Hinch in January of 2020 after MLB suspended him for one year for his role in the team's sign-stealing scandal.
Related stories on the Chicago White Sox
- TAKEAWAYS FROM TWINS SERIES: Brooks Baldwin, Andrew Benintendi and White Sox starting pitchers all had notable performances in the midweek series against the Twins. CLICK HERE
- CLEVINGER'S NEW ROLE: Mike Clevinger has been a starting pitcher for the majority of his career, but the White Sox plan to use him out of the bullpen in high-leverage situations. CLICK HERE
- WINS COME BACK AGAINST WHITE SOX: Starting pitcher Shane Smith’s MLB debut got off to a good start, but the Twins scored five runs in the sixth off of Smith and reliever Penn Murfee to complete the comeback win. CLICK HERE
- BENINTENDI HITS MILESTONE: Chicago White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi hit his 100th career home run Monday against the Minnesota Twins. CLICK HERE
- WHITE SOX BEAT TWINS 9-0: Martín Pérez tossed six no-hit innings while the White Sox scored nine runs off Chris Paddack in the first three innings. CLICK HERE

Jack Ankony is the beat writer for “Chicago White Sox on SI.” He has been with the Sports Illustrated network since 2022. He graduated from Indiana University's Media School with a degree in journalism in 2022. Follow Jack on Twitter @ankony_jack
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