White Sox vs. Cardinals Lineup: No Munetaka Murakami? Edgar Quero Starts, More

The White Sox are going with an unusual look for their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Sep 5, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Anthony Kay (18) delivers the ball during the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After an ugly sweep at home by the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Chicago White Sox will travel to St. Louis for a three-game set with the Cardinals. And they will do so with an ugly lineup.

Game Info

Who: Chicago White Sox (75-71) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (72-75)
Where: Busch Stadium
When: 7:15 CT
Watch: CHSN
Listen: ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM

Chicago White Sox Lineup

1. Chase Meidroth, 2B
2. Randal Grichuk, LF
3. Miguel Vargas, 1B
4. Colson Montgomery, 3B
5. Edgar Quero, DH
6. Brenton Doyle, CF
7. Braden Montgomery, RF
8. Jake Rogers, C
9. Luisangel Acuña, SS

After a sweep by the Pirates, the White Sox needed a shakeup in the lineup. They certainly got one against a lefty. Sam Antonacci, Munetaka Murakami, Andrew Benintendi, Tristan Peters and Kyle Teel will take a seat on Friday.

Chase Meidroth will be leading off amid a .182/.308/.182 slump in his last seven games. Lefty-killer Randal Grichuk will follow in left field, following a .462/.533/.769 slash line in his last seven games and a home run off of Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore in his career. Miguel Vargas will look to mash against a lefty amid a .222/.276/.333 slump in his last seven games and will play first base.

Colson Montgomery has a rough .111/.143/.370 slash line in his last seven games, and really needs to get going against this Cardinals pitching staff. Edgar Quero will also make a start at DH, batting fifth. It will mark his first since August 13. The White Sox only recently called him back up to carry three catchers, joining Jake Rogers and Teel.

Meanwhile, Brenton Doyle will be in center field on Friday and has a home run against Liberatore. Braden Montgomery, Jake Rogers, and Luisangel Acuña will round out an extremely odd lineup. Not exactly an inspiring lineup after a sweep!

St. Louis Cardinals Lineup

1. José Fermín, 3B
2. Iván Herrera, DH
3. Jordan Walker, RF
4. Alec Burleson, 1B
5. Joshua Báez, LF
6. Leo Bernal, C
7. Thomas Saggese, 2B
8. Masyn Winn, SS
9. Nathan Church, CF

On The Mound...

Aug 31, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Anthony Kay (18) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chicago White Sox - Anthony Kay, LHP

To say this White Sox starting staff has struggled lately would be an understatement. Anthony Kay is no stranger to this. In his last seven starts, Kay has pitched to a 5.06 ERA, averaging just over five innings per start. He has given up four or more runs in fewer than five innings in each of his last three starts.

St. Louis Cardinals - Matthew Liberatore, LHP

Matthew Liberatore has had a horrible season thus far, becoming one of the worst starters in baseball with a 5.57 ERA in 28 starts (139 innings). He has the most losses in the National League with 14 and has given up 25 home runs. This could be a great game for the White Sox to rebound. But with this lineup, it's unclear if they will do so.