Gamethread: White Sox at Royals

Allie is back, and for what?

The White Sox are a mere week into the season and things are looking bleak. José Rodríguez was DFA’d on Thursday, Eloy Jiménez was put on the 10-day IL yesterday, and now, Luis Robert Jr. has also hit the 10-day IL with a right hip flexor issue — and it’s certain he’ll be missing more than 10 days.

The good vibes for bad baseball I was willing to commit to are very hard to find.

Plus, more cash!

But alas, there is baseball to be played and Chris Flexen is here to save the day. His one start this season came against the mighty Braves, where he went 4 1⁄3 innings. In this not-quality start, he gave up four runs on six hits. Atlanta has a young and stacked lineup, so I suppose it could have been worse. Flexen is coming off of a season he spent with both Seattle and Colorado. In his 29 games, the righty went 2-8 with a 6.86 ERA. The Royals are not known for the great baseball they have been playing as of late, so perhaps Flexen will fare better than his first outing.

Facing off against the White Sox is a man who has pitched in his fair share of baseball games. In his 11th MLB season, with his sixth team, is Michael Wacha. His first start of the young season was only two outs better than today’s counterpart. He went five innings against the young and powerful Baltimore Orioles, giving up three runs on three hits and striking out five. Wacha had a respectable season in San Diego in 2023, as he started 24 games and posted a 3.22 ERA. Signing with Kansas City felt a tad random, but the heart wants what it wants. Plus, some people just have to admit they look good in blue, I suppose.

Tonight’s Kansas City lineup is below for your viewing pleasure.

Pedro Grifol, try as he might, has put out yet another below-average lineup for his White Sox. Who can blame him, though? He is just working with what he has, and F.A.S.T.

If you would rather watch this instead of the Final Four, first pitch is at 6:10 p.m. CST. The game can be caught on the usual NBC Sports Chicago and listened to on ESPN 1000.

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