White Sox vs. Tigers Lineup: Change at Lead Off? Colson Montgomery Update, More
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After a series-opening win fueled by Munetaka Murakami against the Detroit Tigers, the Chicago White Sox will attempt to win the second game of the series. Fans will also want to keep a close eye on the Guardians, who are in action against the Athletics this evening.
Will the two remain tied, or will someone gain a slim advantage?
Game Info
Who: Chicago White Sox (78-75) vs. Detroit Tigers (72-81)
Where: Rate Field
When: 6:40 CT
Watch: CHSN
Listen: ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM, 107.9 La Ley
Chicago White Sox Lineup
1. Miguel Vargas, 3B
2. Tommy Pham, DH
3. Randal Grichuk, LF
4. Munetaka Murakami, 1B
5. Chase Meidroth, 2B
6. Kyle Teel, C
7. Brenton Doyle, CF
8. Colson Montgomery, SS
9. Tristan Peters, RF
Against another left-hander, the White Sox will roll with a more balanced lineup than last time out. Instead of Chase Meidroth, who normally leads off against left-handers, the White Sox will put Miguel Vargas in that position.
Vargas is cooling down a tiny bit, slashing .220/.277/.322 in his last 15 games with two home runs. Meanwhile, Meidroth is on a tear, slashing .333/.387/.630 in his last seven games, so the logic is unclear as to the move. This will be Vargas' 11th game batting leadoff this season.
Tommy Pham will bat second once again after going 0-for-2 with a walk on Thursday. Randal Grichuk will be high up in the lineup against a lefty, per usual. However, he'll be in left field again on Friday, with Sam Antonacci once again on the bench.
Grichuk had a couple of great plays in the outfield on Thursday, showing a cannon arm by throwing out Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson. After homering on Thursday to give the White Sox their only run of the game, Murakami will be batting cleanup. Has he broken out of his slump? It's too early to tell, but that home run certainly helps!
Kyle Teel will be back in the lineup after an off day on Thursday. Brenton Doyle will once again play center field with a defensive-minded outfield. Most importantly, Colson Montgomery will be back in the lineup after a left wrist contusion suffered on Wednesday. It remains to be seen whether he'll have the power and arm strength to get the job done, or if he was rushed back too soon amid his slump. He apparently wasn't feeling strong enough just yesterday to swing the bat confidently.
Braden Montgomery will be on the bench on Friday, with Tristan Peters relieving him, who is in a 2-for-19 slump. Montgomery is in a 0-for-19 slump with just four hits in his last 15 games.
Detroit Tigers Lineup
1. Kevin McGonigle, SS
2. Gleyber Torres, 2B
3. Colt Keith, DH
4. Riley Greene, LF
5. Specer Torkelson, 1B
6. Zach McKinstry, RF
7. Maxx Clark, CF
8. Eduardo Valencia, C
9. Hao-Yu Lee, 3B
On The Mound...
Chicago White Sox - David Sandlin, RHP
This was supposed to be Luis Castillo's spot in the rotation. However, after Thursday's news of him moving to the bullpen, Sandlin will get the start.
It's been an up-and-down year for Sandlin in the majors. He's had some really bad starts, and some amazing starts. His last start against the St. Louis Cardinals was the latter. In 5.2 innings, Sandlin was near unhittable. When he was relieved by Chris Murphy, the latter gave up three unearned inherited runs to give Sandlin the loss. The White Sox will have to hope this was a sign of better things to come for the rookie.
Detroit Tigers - Andrew Sears, LHP
This will be Andrew Sears' fifth game in the majors and third start. In 16.2 innings, Sears has a 5.40 ERA with 13 strikeouts and four walks. His career high in innings is 5.2, so don't expect him to go deep into this one, especially if the White Sox lineup is turning a corner.
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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.