Game Thread: White Sox at Athletics

Tyler Gilbert, meet Groundhog Day

Howdy everyone, yeah it’s me again. It is a full Brett Ballantini day today, with roster updates, game threads, recaps, minor league update. I cannot promise a great effort on any one of these stories for fear of perishing before the final Kannapolis Cannon Ballers recap is published, but I’ll do my best.

Groundhog Day visits us again, as a familiar starter pops up on your screen:

Welcome back, Tyler Gilbert, you did so well as an opener in your one inning on Friday we’re bringing you back for same. Jonathan Cannon hopes to have more luck than Sean Burke did, as the bulk guy this afternoon.

Miguel Vargas, batting .186 but with a ... wait, OK, with a .267 OBP leads off. The acquisition of SS-3B Gage Workman from the Cubs this morning could spell a change in role for the slumping Vargas, so best he take advantage today, while Workman is still flying coach west. (Ditto No. 9 hitter Jacob Amaya, he of the .087-hitting Amayas, but there are like a dozen guys who should be playing shortstop for the White Sox rather than him, so it’s a foregone conclusion he’s relegated to the bench once Workman arrives.)

Andrew Benintendi, who has hit A’s starter Jeffrey Springs well (4-for-8, 2B, 3B) is ... on the bench. Well, he supposedly hit Luis Severino well in his career and took the collar last night, so maybe it’s time to rest Benny.

Game time 3:05 p.m., how to watch and listen is above, in the pitching matchups. I’m not going anywhere. I can’t. So I’ll see some of you again postgame.