Gamethread: Twins at White Sox

We’ve made it to the end of the season. Congrats! I think?

We have sat through six months of White Sox baseball, and it definitely wasn’t a smooth ride, but we got here. A lot of people probably thought this game wouldn’t be the last of the season, but it is, and the show must go on. The good news you can take from this game is that win or lose, the team will end with a record .500 or better. Although this game doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, enjoy it. Watch your team play baseball for the last time, because I guarantee we will all miss having it on our screens come mid winter, even if they do make us want to scream sometimes.

Moving on from that cheesy speech, let’s get to the game. The South Siders will play the Minnesota Twins and try and take the series sweep with a win. Davis Martin and Louie Varland will be the starters for today.

Martin has been on the team throughout the entire season, making his MLB debut in may. His role started as being a starting pitcher for games that were part of doubleheaders. We have also seen him fill in spots in the rotation when needed like right now as Michael Kopech has been out, and we have seen him more consistently on the team in the second half of the season. He is appearing in his 14th game this year with a 3-5 record, 3.65 ERA, and 1.18 WHIP. His last game was against the San Diego Padres, where he went 5 ⅔ innings with six hits, one run, and eight strikeouts. Martin throws a variety of four pitches, using his fastball the most at 45.6%. He follows with a slider (32.8%), changeup (11%), and curveball (10.6%). It will be interesting to see the role he plays next year for this team. Let’s hope he can get a win today.

The righty Varland will get the start for the Twins who is appearing in just his fifth game. He has a 0-2 record, 4.71 ERA, and 1.33 WHIP. The 2019 draft pick made his MLB debut on September 7th, and has been sent down and called up a few times since then but ultimately ended up on the team. He is the #10 prospect for the team, so it will be interesting to see how he develops next season. Varland relies on four pitches with his fastball being used the most at 47.7%. He follows with a slider (20.7%), changeup (15.9%), and cutter (15.6%).

Before we get to the lineups, here’s an interesting tweet.

Can anyone figure out what the heck is going on with José Abreu?

Elvis Andrus will lead it off, this time as the DH. Yoán Moncada and Andrew Vaughn will grab the infield corners, as Gavin Sheets and Josh Harrison follow. Mark Payton will be in left and Romy González will get the start at shortstop. Adam Engel takes center, and Carlos Pérez is behind the plate. Abreu, Eloy Jiménez, Yasmani Grandal, and AJ Pollock get the last day off.

For the last time this season, tune into NBCSCHI to watch. Listen in on ESPN 1000. Game time is at 3:10 p.m. CT.