Game Threads: Guardians at White Sox (split doubleheader, 2:10 and 7:10 p.m.)

A lotta baseball faces off against, potentially, a lotta rain

Last night’s postponement created a bit of a dilemma for the White Sox and Guardians, who have to find a way to cram four games into three days now, and with a forecast like this it might end up tough to play two:

Weather.com

Making things trickier is that the teams really have to cram three games into two days; I’m too lazy to pore through the CBA to confirm, but it might be prohibited to play a doubleheader on the Sunday before the All-Star break, and whether by agreement prohibited or not, it certainly isn’t ideal.

It looks like a doubleheader might resurface on Saturday.

A heads-up that it’s my (Brett’s) wedding anniversary and these games have fallen to me. Which is fine, but you might need to indulge South Side Sox on this day when it comes to a timely recap. That said, here is a gently-tweaked repeat of Melissa’s gamethread from last night, retrofitted to the doubleheader opener today and and amended with sparse details we know of on Friday morning for the nightcap.

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Today, the White Sox begin a four-game set with the Cleveland Guardians. After a terrific victory on Wednesday, the South Siders hope to keep the momentum rolling. Chicago is also hosting a highly-anticipated 20-year reunion for the 2005 World Series championship team.

The celebration officially kicks off tonight and runs through July 13. The weekend festivities include the unveiling of a statue to honor Mark Buehrle, as well as appearances from various individuals involved in the historic season. It’s a chance for fans to celebrate the enduring legacy of a really special team that brought the World Series trophy back to the Windy City.

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As for today’s opener, Shane Smith gets his last start prior to his appearance at the All-Star Game. He could be used in more of a truncated (opener) start, but given the nature of four games in three days, anything less than an efficient, five-inning start will wreak havoc with the pen, even one getting most of next week off. To help matters out, the White Sox called up lefty reliever Fraser Ellard as the 27th man for the doubleheader.

Across the diamond, the Guardians will counter with southpaw Logan Allen, who enters with a 5-7 record and a 4.07 ERA through 84 innings this season. He’s posted a 1.43 WHIP and has 65 strikeouts in 17 appearances, 16 of them starts. Allen made significant contributions to the Guardians during his rookie campaign in 2023 when he went 7-8 with a 3.81 ERA. He’s a polished lefty who pitches above his velocity thanks to deception and command. His best pitch is a plus changeup, and he also features an average curveball. However, Allen has shown some vulnerability, particularly in the first inning, where he owns a career 6.75 ERA. He’s also been susceptible to the long ball. Hopefully, the Good Guys can take advantage of Allen’s early-game struggles and his tendency to give up home runs.

Baseball Savant

Here’s the White Sox lineup, it’s just copied over from last night’s, so change 6:40 p.m. to 2:10 please:

Here’s how manager Stephen Vogt lines them up today against Smith. The lineup is the same as last night, with the exception of a catcher switch from Bo Naylor to Austin Hedges. Again, same time change caveat:

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Righthander Jonathan Cannon takes the mound for Chicago in the scheduled Friday game (the nightcap), sporting a 3-7 record with a 4.50 ERA over 72 innings and a 1.46 WHIP. The 24-year-old has shown promising signs in his last two outings since returning from the IL. His previous start saw him earn the win against the Colorado Rockies, going 5 1⁄3 innings and allowing just two runs on eight hits, with two free passes and one strikeout. Cannon relies on a cutter, sinker, changeup, four-seamer, and sweeper mix that often induces ground balls and weak contact. His fastball sits around 93 mph, but can touch 97, and his 88-90 mph cutter can be particularly effective against left-handed hitters. Despite not having a single “plus” pitch, all his offerings grade out as solid, around 50- or 55-grade.

Baseball Savant

As we publish early today, there are no nightcap lineups presented yet by either manager. Righthander Gavin Williams (5-4, 3.61 ERA) will face the Sox.

We’ll have just this one game thread, and just one recap, for the action today. Fingers crossed we get some baseball!

You can watch the separate broadcasts on CHSN at 2:10 p.m. and 7:10 CST, now carried on Comcast, Fubo, and DIRECTV. Don’t have any of those options? Tune in to Len Kasper and Darin Jackson on the radio call at ESPN 1000.