White Sox vs. Astros Wild Card Lineup (Game 1): Colson Montgomery Last? Bullpen Day, More
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After a surprising 84-78 season that saw the Chicago White Sox fall just short of a division title, they will face the Houston Astros in a three-game series. This will be a rematch of the White Sox's last playoff appearance in 2021 and the 2005 World Series.
Game Info
Who: Chicago White Sox (84-78) vs. Houston Astros (81-81)
Where: Daikin Park
When: 4:00 CT
Watch: Peacock/NBCSN, Universo/Peacock
Listen: ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM, TUDN, ESPN Radio
Chicago White Sox Lineup
1. Sam Antonacci, LF
2. Kyle Teel, C
3. Miguel Vargas, 3B
4. Munetaka Murakami, 1B
5. Andrew Benintendi, DH
6. Tristan Peters, CF
7. Braden Montgomery, RF
8. Chase Meidroth, 2B
9. Colson Montgomery, SS
The White Sox will roll with a lefty-heavy lineup against a bullpen day for the Astros. Sam Antonacci will lead off, playing left field. In Antonacci's last seven games, he has slashed .407/.452/.481 with three runs driven in. However, he hasn't hit a home run since July 29.
Kyle Teel will bat second with four home runs in his last 30 games. Miguel Vargas and Munetaka Murakami will be the keys to this series. This offense does as well as its two stars do. Murakami has slashed .269/.406/.692 in his last seven games, officially breaking out of his prolonged slump.
Andrew Benintendi will be the designated hitter against a righty-heavy Astros bullpen. This doesn't preclude us from seeing Randal Grichuk, however. Benintendi has slashed .118/.238/.294 in his last seven games and will need to get out of his slump to propel the White Sox to a series win. Tristan Peters will play center field amid a 2-for-18 slump. The All-Star rookie will look to snap out of it.
Braden Montgomery will be batting seventh, playing right field. He's been on a tear of late, slashing .440/.440/.520 in his last seven games. However, he has not homered since September 4. Chase Meidroth is back in the lineup after a minor hamstring injury. Meidroth has slashed .391/.462/.739 in his last seven games with two home runs. The main story of this lineup is seeing the struggling Colson Montgomery at ninth in the order. This will be the first time this season he has batted that low amid a 1-for-25 stretch. He needs to get it going for the White Sox offense to reach its potential in the postseason.
Houston Astros Lineup
1. Jeremy Peña, SS
2. Yordan Alvarez, DH
3. Isaac Paredes, 3B
4. José Altuve, 2B
5. Yainer Diaz, C
6. Christian Walker, 1B
7. Lucas Spence, CF
8. Cam Smith, RF
9. Taylor Trammell, LF
On The Mound...
Chicago White Sox - Hagen Smith, LHP
Hagen Smith needs no introduction. He's become one of the best relievers on the White Sox staff and will start in Tuesday's bullpen day. It remains to be seen if Erick Fedde will pitch in this one. Smith will face the presumptive AL MVP Yordan Alvarez in the first inning. That will be the matchup to watch.
Houston Astros - AJ Blubaugh, RHP
The Astros will go with a bullpen day of their own, with Blubaugh starting. In 64 games this season, Blubaugh has a 3.66 ERA with 94 strikeouts in 96 innings. Expect him to go multiple innings against this potent White Sox offense as they look to win their first postseason series since 2005.
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Matthew Singer is a contributor for White Sox on SI. Before joining SI in 2026, he worked for Heavy as an MLB contributor and Cubs on SI. Singer has a master's degree in sports journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. He loves sports more than anything in the world.