Gamethread: Royals at White Sox — the doubleheader

Can the wind actually help the White Sox score? Can ANYTHING help them?

The rains that postponed last night’s game and led to a doubleheader today have wandered east, but the forecast calls for wind out of the west-southwest at 21 mph and gusting higher. So this afternoon, routine fly balls to the left may end up in the White Sox bullpen, and well-hit drives that direction may bounce off a car on the Dan Ryan.

Those gusts may help Chicago (2-14) actually score some runs. Unfortunately, the wind is likely to blow while the Kansas City Royals (11-6) are also batting, so breaking up the worst start in franchise history won’t be easy.

Righty Jonathan Cannon, making his major league debut and setting a rare 2024 South Side record that’s not gruesome — the first time two consecutive starting pitchers made their big league premieres — will try to stop the Royals in the first game. Nick Nastrini, in his first appearance on Monday, did a nice job, especially the first time through the order.

The 6’6” Cannon throws about everything but an eephus pitch and had a good start in Charlotte, though one with some conflicting numbers. His 2.79 ERA is excellent, especially in Charlotte. Still, his WHIP is over 1.5, indicating either he’s been a trifle lucky or he’s good at getting out of jams — hopefully the latter.

Brady Singer takes the bump for the Royals. He is off to an outstanding start this season, with a 0.98 ERA over three starts, including a victory over the White Sox on April 5. In that game, he allowed just two hits and one run over 6 1⁄3 innings, though one of the hits was a homer by Gavin Sheets.

Sheets will be in the three-hole this game, followed by Eloy Jiménez, who came off the IL Monday for a pinch-hit whiff but is 10-for-22 lifetime against Singer. Dominic Fletcher gets a crack at the leadoff slot, followed by Andrew Vaughn, who hasn’t had a hit since the Truman administration but has a .308 career average against Singer.

Cannon will be trying to shoot down a KC lineup that includes the return of Salvador Perez, who had been out a few games with a hip/groin problem. The lineup is also among the MLB leaders in stolen bases, which could be a challenge for the young rookie.

The first pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. CST, and the second game will follow in traditional doubleheader format. The usual broadcast suspects will be on hand. We will update the gamethread here with the lineup and pitching matchup for Game 2 when released.

As the losing streak continues, the White Sox face another tough challenge in Game 2. Despite the uphill battle, we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do, so here we go.

In his fourth start of the season, Erick Fedde is still in pursuit of his first win. His performance so far has been decent, with a 4.30 ERA through 14 2/3 innings. His last encounter with the Cleveland Guardians on April 10 was a challenge, conceding five runs on four hits and three walks in five innings. However, he showed promise in his previous start against the Royals on April 5, allowing only one run on six hits over five innings. Fedde’s pitching arsenal includes a sinker (36.1%), sweeper (23.2%), split-finger (22.9%), and cutter (17.9%). More importantly, he has an adorable Bernese Mountain Dog.

On the bump versus Fedde will be Michael Wacha. In his first year with the Royals, the righthander is 1-1 with a 4.0 ERA in 18 innings. The veteran is entering his 12th professional season and has had a solid career as a starter, going 89-55 with a 3.96 ERA in 252 games. Wacha relies on five pitches, including a changeup (30.9%), four-seam fastball (30.5%), cutter (14.5%), curveball (14.1%), and sinker (10%).

Here’s how the South Siders line it up for Game 2:

And the AL Central second-place Royals (I did not have that on my bingo card):

The first pitch is set for 4:25 p.m. CST. Watch the broadcast on NBCSCH or listen in on ESPN 1000.