Game Thread: White Sox (32-29) at Twins (29-33)

The White Sox limp into the finale of this three-game set looking to avoid a sweep before finally getting a much-needed off-day. The timing couldn’t be better, because after Minnesota, the schedule turns downright cruel. Chicago’s next 12 games come against the Phillies, Braves, Dodgers, and Yankees. Every one of those clubs is above .500, and Atlanta currently owns the best record in baseball.

Oddly enough, offense hasn’t been the biggest problem this week. Even without Munetaka Murakami in the lineup, the Sox have shown they can still score enough runs to compete. The pitching staff, however, has been another story. David Sandlin was knocked around in Monday’s opener, and Davis Martin endured his roughest outing of the season in Tuesday night’s loss. That leaves Erick Fedde with the task of stopping the skid.

Which version of Fedde shows up will go a long way toward deciding this game. The veteran righthander enters at 0-5 with a 5.40 ERA, but those numbers hide two very different seasons. In April, Fedde looked like a reliable mid-rotation arm, posting a 2.86 ERA and 0.99 WHIP while consistently giving at least five innings. May, on the other hand, was a disaster. He reached five innings only once, was tagged for a 9.00 ERA, and opponents hit .360 against him. With Noah Schultz expected back at some point, Fedde needs to start showing signs of life, or he may find himself on the waiver wire.

The Twins counter with righthander Taj Bradley, who has rebounded nicely after a rocky finish to last season following his arrival from Tampa Bay in the Griffin Jax trade. Bradley is 5-1 with a 3.21 ERA and 1.21 WHIP, though he is coming off his shortest outing of the year after allowing four runs in four innings against Pittsburgh last week. Bradley attacks hitters with a power four-seamer that sits 96-97 mph, along with a cutter, splitter, and curveball. The White Sox would be wise not to go hunting that fastball. Bradley’s breaking-ball metrics are far less impressive than his fastball numbers, so the recipe is simple: stay disciplined, don’t chase, force deep counts, take the walks when they’re there, and make him throw secondary pitches in the strike zone. When the Sox get a mistake, they need to elevate it.

The lineup reflects that approach. Sam Antonacci gets another shot atop the order after continuing to provide quality at-bats and speed on the bases. Miguel Vargas remains one of the club’s hottest hitters and will bat second, while Andrew Benintendi slides into the DH spot. Colson Montgomery hits cleanup, and Chase Meidroth’s on-base ability will be important against a strikeout pitcher like Bradley, while Jacob Gonzalez, Tristan Peters, Drew Romo, and Rikuu Nishida round out a lineup that will need patience as much as power this afternoon.

For Minnesota, Byron Buxton and Brooks Lee headline a lineup that has already done plenty of damage in this series. The Twins have scored 15 runs over the first two games and will be looking to keep the pressure on Chicago’s pitching staff, searching for answers.

One more game before the off day. The Sox would like nothing more than to head home to face Atlanta with a win and avoid carrying a sweep into what may be the toughest stretch of their season.

First pitch is set for 12:40 p.m. CT on CHSN, with radio coverage on ESPN 1000.