White Sox Lineup (4/4): Taylor Opening Again? Murakami Back in Clean Up Spot

After welcoming fans back to The Rate with an epic walk-off victory, the Chicago White Sox have a chance to win two straight for the first time this season. Conditions are going to be cold, wet, and windy, but could this work in their favor as the Blue Jays go with a bullpen game?

Game Info

Who: Toronto Blue Jays (4-3) at Chicago White Sox (2-5)
Where: Guaranteed Rate Field
When: 1:10 PM CT
Watch: Chicago Sports Network, MLB.TV
Listen: ESPN 1000

White Sox Lineup

1. Chase Meidroth, 2B
2. Lenyn Sosa, DH
3. Miguel Vargas, 3B
4. Munetaka Murakami, 1B
5. Austin Hays, LF
6. Colson Montgomery, SS
7. Luisangel Acuña, CF
8. Reese McGuire, C
9. Tristan Peters, RF

Facing off against a lefty, it's a bit surprising to see manager Will Venable go with three straight righties to begin the day. This includes moving Munetaka Murakami down from the two spot to clean-up, where he has appeared only a couple of times this season. Considering his raw power and the fact that he's been their most reliable hitter, it may only be a matter of time before Murakami settles into that slot long term. After all, Colson Montgomery has struggled to provide consistent pop thus far.

Speaking of which, moving Montgomery down the order today does at least give Chicago three lefties in their last four batters against Fluharty. This includes backup catcher Reese McGuire, who will start his fourth game of the season. Tristan Peters is also set to round things out one day after he gave his squad a huge walk-off win.

The Sox did a considerably better job of creating contact yesterday, which was undoubtedly surprising considering Cease was on the mound. Yes, they still struck out too many times, but they at least finished with a season-high 12 hits and did a decent job getting runners into scoring position. There is no question that this lineup offers plenty of power, but they have to be thinking more about playing team baseball. They did that on Friday and now have a chance to build on that.

Toronto Blue Jays Lineup

1. George Springer, DH
2. Davis Schneider, LF
3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B
4. Kazuma Okamoto, 3B
5. Daulton Varsho, CF
6. Ernie Clement, 2B
7. Myles Straw, RF
8. Andres Giménez, SS
9. Tyler Heineman, C

Pitching Matchup

Apr 3, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Grant Taylor (31) delivers a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

White Sox – Grant Taylor, RHP

In a surprising turn of events, the White Sox are going with Grant Taylor as an opener for the second game in a row. He retired the side to begin Friday, even catching Jesús Sánchez on a three-pitch strikeout with two curves and a nasty 99 mph fastball. Sean Burke proceeded to come in and settle into a promising groove that led to seven strikeouts over 6.0 innings pitched. The Sox are now hoping for similar success with Anthony Kay, who easily had the best showing of any arm over the Sox' first rotational stint.

With that said, it sure feels like only a matter of time before Taylor gets a true start under his belt. He has the stuff.

Blue Jays – Mason Fluharty, LHP

You can get to Mason Fluharty. The lefty is starting the first game of his career in what appears to be a bullpen game for the Blue Jays. While he found decent success in his 52.2 innings pitched last season, he still held just a 4.44 ERA. Likewise, in his limited four appearances this season, Fluharty has already given up two earned runs and three hits.

To be clear, Mason Fluharty can be very good at limiting hard contact and forcing ground balls. But he essentially only uses a cutter and a sweeper, which limits his upside.