These teams have completely different directions moving forward. The visiting Chicago White Sox (43-64 entering the series) traded away a solid chunk of their roster. Hosting them is a Texas Rangers (60-46) team that is furiously trying to fend off the Astros for the AL West crown. They will collide in Globe Life Field after a busy trade deadline. The first pitch for Wednesday's game two is set for 8:05 p.m. EDT.
It was a busy trade deadline for the South Siders, who said goodbye to Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, Joe Kelly, Jake Burger, and Kenyan Middleton. One person who surprisingly stayed is Dylan Cease, who is in line to start this contest. Cease has faced Texas once this year, allowing two runs over 6.0 innings in an eventual White Sox win. Even with an underwhelming year compared to 2022, Cease has a plus fastball and strikeout stuff. However, he's been getting shelled when batters catch up.
Offensively, losing Jake Burger represents 20% of their home run total. He was second in home runs and RBIs on the team. Scoring has been far from Chicago's strength, as they're 23rd in runs per game. Only one team has a lower OBP, and no team owns a lower walk rate. With a bottom-10 batting average, slugging percentage, and stolen base tally, they aren't making up for their inability to get on base. It's been an ugl y year.