Gamethread: White Sox at Phillies
A trip to the City of Brotherly Love
There are many things you could do tonight instead of watching White Sox baseball. Need suggestions? Go for an after-work stroll, listen to the new Taylor Swift album, cook a meal, or stab your eyeballs out. I'm kidding about that last one — it's just how the team makes me feel sometimes.
If you choose to watch the game, you are probably doing so to see Garrett Crochet take the mound. For that, I cannot blame you. He may have given up five runs to the Reds in his last outing, but he also struck out 10 batters in the 4 2⁄3 innings he pitched. The two starts prior? He combined for 12 innings of work, three earned runs, and 13 strikeouts. His Baseball Savant stats for 2024 already speak for themself. I will be blunt: I don't know what all these things mean, but I do know that great means great.
What am I concerned about for Garrett's start? The Reds are a young and exciting team that is good and was able to run Crochet from the game quickly. The Phillies are an established team with generational talent and power hitters. I fear it could be worse than his outing in Cincinnati. On the other hand, the lefty did go seven strong innings on Opening Day against the Braves, so maybe it won't be that bad.
Someone who shouldn't have trouble obtaining a quality start is Phillies starter Spencer Turnball. Do you recognize that name? Well, you should. The righthander signed with the Phillies after spending 2018 - 2023 with the Detroit Tigers. All of his starts this season have come against NL Central teams, where he has given up three runs over three starts and struck out 16.
Lifetime against the White Sox, Turnball is 0-3 with a 6.52 ERA and just 23 strikeouts over five appearances. It does seem odd that the righty was in Detroit for so long and only has seen the White Sox five times, but Turnball has not pitched a full season since 2019. I would say these stats suggest maybe he will struggle tonight, but have you seen this lineup? No? Look no further than below.
Tonight's starters in Philly ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/Zwx7RLHX2O
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 19, 2024
Now, this is a lineup I don't pity.
Back in our city's colors#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/kxMfojCwcO
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 19, 2024
It is an early one tonight out in Philadelphia. The first pitch is at 5:40 p.m. CST. You can watch the terrors unfold on NBC Sports Chicago and listen on ESPN 1000.