White Sox vs. Rockies Lineup: The Finale, No Miguel Vargas, Grichuk Leads Off? More

The Chicago White Sox are hoping to finish the regular season strong after an ugly outing on Saturday night.

Aug 17, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox designated hitter Randal Grichuk (34) is greeted in the dugout after hitting a three-run home run against the Chicago Cubs during the fourth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Chicago White Sox are playing for one thing and one thing only this afternoon: Rinsing the bad taste out of their mouths.

Thanks to a gross loss to the worst team in baseball on Saturday night, the organization officially threw away any chance they had at winning the AL Central. They are now locked into a Wild Card spot and will play the Rangers or Astros depending on what happens later today.

Game Info

Who: Chicago White Sox (83-78) vs. Colorado Rockies (58-103)
Where: Rate Field
When: 2:10 CT
Watch: CHSN
Listen: ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM, 107.9 La Ley

Chicago White Sox Lineup

1. Randal Grichuk, LF
2. Tommy Pham, DH
3. Munetaka Murakami, 1B
4. Benton Doyle, CF
5. Sam Antonacci, 2B
6. Braden Montgomery, RF
7. Colson Montgomery, 3B
8. Luisangel Acuña, SS
9. Drew Romo, C

While a big win would be a nice way to shake off Saturday's loss, the White Sox also want to practice an abundance of caution. With nothing at stake this afternoon, a primary goal should be to walk off the field fully healthy. This is likely why manager Will Venable has gone with a rather unusual lineup for Game 162.

The top of the order, in particular, has been shaken up drastically. Randal Grichuk will lead off against the Rockies' southpaw, followed by veteran Tommy Pham in the DH spot. Munetaka Murakami will remain near the top of the order at third, but then it will be center fielder Brenton Doyle.

Miguel Vargas will get the day off, as will Kyle Teel. Chase Meidroth also remains out as he deals with a hamstring issue.

Colorado Rockies Lineup

1. Jake McCarthy, LF
2. Connor Norby, DH
3. Hunter Goodman, C
4. Cole Carrigg, CF
5. Kyle Karros, 3B
6. Adael Amador, 2B
7. Troy Johnston, 1B
8. Jordan Beck, RF
9. Ezequiel Tovar, SS

On the Mound ...

Sep 11, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Anthony Kay (18) throws against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

White Sox – Anthony Kay, LHP

The Chicago White Sox will stick with Anthony Kay in Sunday's series finale. With the Wild Card looming on Tuesday, it feels likely that manager Will Venable will give the lefty a very long leash. The last thing you want to do is unnecessarily burn through bullpen arms.

The bad news for the White Sox, however, is that Kay hasn't pitched more than 4.2 innings since August 20. If he does continue to struggle from the jump, it will be interesting to see who is asked to eat multiple innings.

Rockies – Kyle Freeland, LHP

Kyle Freeland has been anything but dynamic this season. He has a 6.58 ERA in 131.1 innings of work. To his credit, Freeland is very good at limiting his walks and has a pretty deep arsenal of pitches. However, he lets up a ton of contact and is typically hit extremely hard. That should be good news for this White Sox' offense.