WEBVTT - Munetaka Murakami heating up at the right time 0:00:01.550 --> 0:00:04.050 In case you need a lawyer, here's my business card. 0:00:04.170 --> 0:00:07.720 I'm attorney Howard Ankin. You or someone you know has 0:00:07.740 --> 0:00:10.740 been hurt at work. Ankin Law can get the medical 0:00:10.760 --> 0:00:16.400 bills paid, the lost wages reimbursed, and the compensation you deserve. 0:00:17.480 --> 0:00:19.459 We're one of the largest filers throughout the state of 0:00:19.480 --> 0:00:25.750 Illinois of workers' compensation claims. We're here to help. Call 312-6-MILLION. 0:00:26.450 --> 0:00:29.230 Injury law made personal. That's Ankin Law. 0:00:43.460 --> 0:00:48.960 From your favorite source for Chicago White Sox talk, delivering news, interviews, analysis, 0:00:49.120 --> 0:00:52.980 and more. This is the Sox Machine Podcast with your hosts, 0:00:53.159 --> 0:00:54.950 Jim Margulis and Josh Nelson. 0:00:55.090 --> 0:00:57.090 Hello, folks. Welcome to a new episode of the Sox 0:00:57.110 --> 0:01:00.630 Machine Podcast, part of the Foul Territory Network. I'm your host, 0:01:00.750 --> 0:01:04.290 Josh Nelson, as this episode is take two. For those 0:01:04.330 --> 0:01:08.819 that watched the live stream, I apologize. As our internet 0:01:08.840 --> 0:01:13.080 provider Xfinity had other thoughts and currently going through a 0:01:13.140 --> 0:01:15.860 network outage. So this is take two. This is now 0:01:15.900 --> 0:01:20.370 the recorded version of the video and podcast episode on Saturday, 0:01:20.410 --> 0:01:25.869 September 26th. As we recap the episode, the game last 0:01:25.930 --> 0:01:28.150 night for the Chicago White Sox as they won six 0:01:28.170 --> 0:01:30.970 to one over Michigan. The Colorado Rockies, we'll be talking 0:01:31.010 --> 0:01:33.410 about how well they pitched, and they didn't look too 0:01:33.450 --> 0:01:36.890 sluggish after their big celebration in Kansas City, so that 0:01:36.950 --> 0:01:40.350 is a good sign. Munataka Murakami is heating up at 0:01:40.410 --> 0:01:44.480 the right time for the White Sox. I'll explain his importance, 0:01:44.700 --> 0:01:46.660 and we all know how important he is, but we 0:01:46.720 --> 0:01:49.580 also know the importance of home runs. in the postseason, 0:01:49.600 --> 0:01:51.920 so this is a great sign to see Murakami as 0:01:51.940 --> 0:01:54.670 he had a multi-home run game on Friday night. Sean 0:01:54.710 --> 0:01:58.130 Burke looked pretty strong in his outing against the Rockies, 0:01:58.190 --> 0:02:00.470 and it seems like he's back on track in his 0:02:00.510 --> 0:02:04.370 last three outings. Did we see the prime bullpen that 0:02:04.410 --> 0:02:08.000 the White Sox might be using this configuration today? in 0:02:08.060 --> 0:02:11.040 the bow season to try to close out games. And 0:02:11.100 --> 0:02:14.480 we'll be previewing Saturday night's game between the White Sox 0:02:14.520 --> 0:02:17.940 and Rockies. His old friend, Jose Katana returns to the 0:02:18.010 --> 0:02:21.450 South side. And again, the box score from last night's game, 0:02:22.169 --> 0:02:24.950 the White Sox had 10 hits. Sam Antonacci went three 0:02:24.970 --> 0:02:27.890 for four from the leadoff spot. Kyle Teal continues to 0:02:27.930 --> 0:02:29.810 produce for the White Sox. He went one for three 0:02:29.830 --> 0:02:33.580 with two RBIs. Miguel Vargas picked up his 93rd RBI 0:02:33.639 --> 0:02:36.460 of the season. Brady Montgomery, went two for three with 0:02:36.520 --> 0:02:40.419 two infield singles. Unfortunately, Colson Montgomery did strike out, so 0:02:40.440 --> 0:02:43.919 he sets a new single season record in Major League 0:02:43.940 --> 0:02:48.590 Baseball history as he now has 224 strikeouts for the season. 0:02:49.110 --> 0:02:54.410 But a big attention is on Munataka Murakami. As Murakami 0:02:54.450 --> 0:02:57.480 went three for four in last night's game with those 0:02:57.580 --> 0:03:00.730 two home runs, he now has 35 home runs on 0:03:00.750 --> 0:03:03.830 the season. And Murakami is hitting up at the right 0:03:04.330 --> 0:03:07.690 time for the White Sox. After the September swoon for 0:03:07.740 --> 0:03:11.940 this offense where everything really struggled, but more importantly, Murakami 0:03:12.200 --> 0:03:15.380 over the last quarter of the season just hasn't been 0:03:15.440 --> 0:03:18.060 a very effective hitter for the Chicago White Sox. He 0:03:18.090 --> 0:03:20.470 takes his walks, but that was pretty much really the 0:03:20.510 --> 0:03:25.139 only positive thing that Murakami was doing for so long offensively. 0:03:25.600 --> 0:03:29.959 Even on this episode, in this podcast, Jim Margulis advocated 0:03:30.060 --> 0:03:33.179 for Murakami to bat ninth if he wasn't going to 0:03:33.220 --> 0:03:34.960 be putting the ball in play, if he was just 0:03:34.980 --> 0:03:38.540 going to take his walks. That's still important, but more important, 0:03:38.560 --> 0:03:40.840 I guess, in the ninth spot and not your cleanup 0:03:40.880 --> 0:03:44.170 hitter if there's really no threat to do serious damage. 0:03:44.790 --> 0:03:48.110 But now Murakami in his last five games is batting. 353. 0:03:48.110 --> 0:03:51.380 He has three home runs and eight RBIs. His OPS 0:03:51.410 --> 0:03:54.700 is over 1,400 during this stretch. And I love to 0:03:54.760 --> 0:03:59.240 see that. 522 hitter on base percentage for Murakami. And 0:03:59.280 --> 0:04:01.690 when you look at his season numbers, batting average is 0:04:01.710 --> 0:04:03.970 still not great, but it is ticking up. He now 0:04:04.010 --> 0:04:08.230 has 35 home runs this season with 77 RBIs. His 0:04:08.350 --> 0:04:12.390 OPS is well above 800. It's currently at 834. What 0:04:12.410 --> 0:04:15.830 I'm really enjoying with Murakami in this recent stretch of 0:04:15.890 --> 0:04:19.489 success is that he has a six-game streak of driving 0:04:19.570 --> 0:04:23.670 in at least one RBI. And that is so important 0:04:23.690 --> 0:04:27.950 for this White Sox offense because Antonacci and Kyle Thiel 0:04:27.970 --> 0:04:30.290 are doing a very good job setting the table for 0:04:30.330 --> 0:04:33.690 Miguel Vargas. And Miguel Vargas is picking up the RBI 0:04:33.750 --> 0:04:36.680 opportunities now. So the White Sox have a very good 0:04:36.760 --> 0:04:39.680 first three of their lineup. But as you roll into 0:04:39.700 --> 0:04:42.520 the postseason, and we all watch the playoff games in 0:04:42.560 --> 0:04:45.380 recent years, we know how important the home run is 0:04:45.980 --> 0:04:50.340 for team success and how far they get. in the playoffs. 0:04:50.380 --> 0:04:54.060 Just watch the World Series and just how the pendulum 0:04:54.100 --> 0:04:56.430 kept swinging back and forth between the Dodgers and Blue 0:04:56.470 --> 0:05:00.550 Jays with the big home runs. It's so difficult for 0:05:00.630 --> 0:05:03.529 teams to string three or four hits in an inning. 0:05:04.170 --> 0:05:07.390 against the pitching in the postseason because now you're facing 0:05:07.630 --> 0:05:11.830 the best pitchers and teams are really focusing on matchups. 0:05:11.990 --> 0:05:15.390 Instead of trying to get as many innings as possible 0:05:15.470 --> 0:05:19.490 to get through 162 game season, everyone is managing and 0:05:19.589 --> 0:05:23.150 handling their pitching matchups to win that game and that day. 0:05:23.730 --> 0:05:28.650 So your hitters don't get many opportunities to face starting pitchers. 0:05:28.980 --> 0:05:31.760 I think almost every team Maybe with the exception of 0:05:31.779 --> 0:05:34.240 the New York Yankees. But if you have any concerns 0:05:34.480 --> 0:05:37.659 about T-Top, if you're a team, you may only have 0:05:37.680 --> 0:05:41.640 your starting pitcher go through the lineup twice. And that 0:05:41.700 --> 0:05:44.580 really is only, what, four, five innings if they're really 0:05:44.670 --> 0:05:49.630 effective before you start having the conversation of just how 0:05:49.730 --> 0:05:52.150 deep we want to get with this starting pitcher. How 0:05:52.210 --> 0:05:55.450 many opportunities do we want the opposing team, who's already 0:05:55.510 --> 0:05:59.750 seen our starting pitcher twice? So with home runs being 0:05:59.890 --> 0:06:04.570 so important to try to capitalize on those opportunities when 0:06:04.589 --> 0:06:07.370 you do get a single or you draw your walks, 0:06:08.190 --> 0:06:11.890 Murakami coming through and heating up is just the right 0:06:11.950 --> 0:06:14.659 time for the White Sox. And I think that Murakami 0:06:15.200 --> 0:06:18.520 is going to have a big impact. on a positive 0:06:18.560 --> 0:06:21.770 side for the White Sox in this postseason. Because even 0:06:21.830 --> 0:06:24.330 if he does go one for four in a game, 0:06:24.470 --> 0:06:26.210 if that one hit is a home run, it can 0:06:26.490 --> 0:06:30.810 completely change the outcome of that playoff game. So with 0:06:30.850 --> 0:06:34.870 Murakami hitting up and Miguel Vargas being Miguel Vargas and 0:06:34.910 --> 0:06:38.700 with Kyle Thiel and Sam Antonacci setting the table, You know, 0:06:38.720 --> 0:06:41.640 this White Sox team in their last 11 games have 0:06:41.680 --> 0:06:45.720 now scored 71 runs. So the concerns that, I mean, 0:06:45.839 --> 0:06:49.380 I had about the White Sox offense being cold, that 0:06:49.440 --> 0:06:52.270 really just seems like it was a slump. They snapped 0:06:52.370 --> 0:06:56.810 out of it. And despite all the celebration at Kansas City, 0:06:57.650 --> 0:07:00.110 they didn't look too sluggish. They were still able to 0:07:00.130 --> 0:07:03.730 put together six runs and win last night's game. It 0:07:03.750 --> 0:07:07.260 continued to put pressure on Cleveland as the Guardians lost 0:07:08.450 --> 0:07:13.680 One last night as we take a look at the standings. First, 0:07:13.840 --> 0:07:18.060 the American League West. This is still undecided as both 0:07:18.100 --> 0:07:22.140 Houston and Texas lost last night. They are both 79-81. 0:07:22.200 --> 0:07:25.210 Congratulations to the American League West. They have now set 0:07:25.250 --> 0:07:28.490 the new low mark for a team making the postseason 0:07:29.090 --> 0:07:33.309 without a winning record. Winning division without a winning record. 0:07:33.350 --> 0:07:35.360 Neither the Astros or the Texas Rangers will have a 0:07:35.390 --> 0:07:39.110 winning record in 2000-26. there's a good chance that we 0:07:39.170 --> 0:07:41.410 may see a team with a losing record with a 0:07:41.430 --> 0:07:45.450 division and host a wildcard round. This, of course, is 0:07:45.530 --> 0:07:48.370 great of interest for White Sox fans because if the 0:07:48.410 --> 0:07:50.890 season were to end today, they would be traveling to 0:07:50.950 --> 0:07:53.610 Houston as the Astros have the tiebreaker over the Rangers. 0:07:54.310 --> 0:07:58.210 But the Guardians last night and their devil magic continues 0:07:58.310 --> 0:08:02.350 for them as that game was tied 7-7 after a 0:08:02.370 --> 0:08:04.870 dramatic two-run homer by Kansas City in the bottom of 0:08:04.890 --> 0:08:08.970 the eighth inning to tie the game. And with Two outs, 0:08:09.950 --> 0:08:14.110 Cleveland scores five runs, and they only had one base 0:08:14.130 --> 0:08:20.650 hit in that inning. So many walks. Six walks by 0:08:20.710 --> 0:08:24.920 Kansas City pitchers against the Guardians is why the Guardians 0:08:25.000 --> 0:08:28.960 ended up winning 12-9 in last night's crazy game and 0:08:29.020 --> 0:08:32.500 why the Guardians still stay ahead of the Chicago White Sox. 0:08:33.410 --> 0:08:36.099 So great to see Murakami. Great to see the offense 0:08:36.140 --> 0:08:38.380 really pick it up. But the White Sox still need 0:08:38.420 --> 0:08:40.680 help if they're going to try to get that number 0:08:40.740 --> 0:08:44.170 two seed in the postseason. And they still need to 0:08:44.429 --> 0:08:49.070 continue hitting this weekend in the final two games against Colorado. 0:08:49.630 --> 0:08:52.540 Now we take a look on what's on deck. Brought 0:08:52.559 --> 0:09:00.699 to you by Fox One. MLB on Fox is streaming 0:09:00.780 --> 0:09:03.660 on Fox One. The race to October starts now, and 0:09:03.679 --> 0:09:06.120 we have your front row seat to the wildest walk-offs, 0:09:06.200 --> 0:09:09.380 lights out pitching, and clutch plays all season long. Follow 0:09:09.580 --> 0:09:12.979 every can't-miss matchup as teams battle for spots in the postseason, 0:09:13.300 --> 0:09:16.380 then stream the 2026 World Series live on Fox One. 0:09:16.990 --> 0:09:19.390 At home or on the go, live or on demand, 0:09:19.830 --> 0:09:23.430 never miss a moment. Stream now. Start your Fox One 0:09:23.510 --> 0:09:28.810 three-day free trial today at foxone.com. And our Fox One 0:09:29.010 --> 0:09:33.469 on-deck topic is Sean Burke. I was a bit concerned 0:09:33.990 --> 0:09:38.750 after you have a big party and celebrating a much-deserved celebration, 0:09:39.280 --> 0:09:43.219 celebrating a postseason berth, and how your starting pitcher is 0:09:43.260 --> 0:09:45.240 going to fare the next night if they're a part 0:09:45.260 --> 0:09:49.040 of those festivities. And Sean Burke was. And I got 0:09:49.059 --> 0:09:51.440 to give it to Sean Burke. As someone who's over 0:09:51.480 --> 0:09:53.660 the age of 40, if I had that much beer 0:09:53.800 --> 0:09:56.870 and that much champagne, I struggle to get out of bed. 0:09:57.530 --> 0:10:00.099 But last night against the Rockies, he went 5-1. a 0:10:00.160 --> 0:10:03.570 third innings on 89 pitches. He struck out seven batters. 0:10:03.590 --> 0:10:07.550 He only allowed one earned run against the Rockies. But 0:10:07.750 --> 0:10:11.290 Sean Burke, as of late, has really stepped up his game. 0:10:11.690 --> 0:10:14.600 You know, his overall season numbers, he's 11 and seven 0:10:14.720 --> 0:10:18.600 for the season now. And he reached 172 innings this 0:10:18.640 --> 0:10:21.840 year and he finished the regular season with 185 strikeouts. 0:10:22.460 --> 0:10:24.570 But when you take a look at his game log 0:10:24.640 --> 0:10:27.990 in his last three outings against the Rockies, Tigers, and Guardians, 0:10:28.590 --> 0:10:31.370 it's just two earned runs that Sean Burke has allowed. 0:10:31.929 --> 0:10:35.910 So after that disastrous start against the Pittsburgh Pirates in 0:10:35.950 --> 0:10:38.030 which he couldn't get out of the second inning and 0:10:38.070 --> 0:10:41.689 he allowed seven earned runs, Sean Burke has made that 0:10:41.750 --> 0:10:45.220 adjustment and he's been really strong as a front line 0:10:45.250 --> 0:10:49.580 starter for the Chicago White Sox. And starting pitching is 0:10:49.620 --> 0:10:53.260 important in the postseason. I think Sean Burke, the way 0:10:53.280 --> 0:10:56.699 that he's been throwing, eases any kind of concern I 0:10:56.740 --> 0:11:00.280 have for that particular game in the first five innings. Yes, 0:11:00.840 --> 0:11:05.180 there is always that fear that the Pittsburgh outing can 0:11:05.260 --> 0:11:08.500 return and just bury the White Sox early in the game. 0:11:08.960 --> 0:11:11.890 But the way that he stepped up against Detroit, And 0:11:12.170 --> 0:11:14.950 the way that he performed at Cleveland as the White 0:11:14.970 --> 0:11:19.210 Sox won that first game, thanks to Tristan Peters getting 0:11:19.530 --> 0:11:21.530 hit in the head by a throw and his epic 0:11:21.530 --> 0:11:27.210 18 pitch at bat. But despite the big celebration, and 0:11:27.230 --> 0:11:31.050 I know it's the Rockies, but Burke performed. And even 0:11:31.130 --> 0:11:33.890 if he gives the White Sox only five innings in 0:11:33.990 --> 0:11:37.969 a playoff game, I'm very confident that he's going to 0:11:38.010 --> 0:11:41.500 put them in a position to win that game. Especially 0:11:41.540 --> 0:11:43.679 with how well he's pitched in his last three, only 0:11:43.720 --> 0:11:47.040 allowing two earned runs. So this is a great sign 0:11:47.080 --> 0:11:49.599 for the White Sox. And at the beginning part of 0:11:49.640 --> 0:11:51.930 this month, we were all concerned if the White Sox 0:11:51.950 --> 0:11:55.150 had enough pitching. What happened to the offense? They lost 0:11:55.190 --> 0:11:59.510 this division lead. Getting closer to the playoffs that start 0:11:59.550 --> 0:12:04.839 next week. Sean Burke starting game two. I'm confident in 0:12:04.860 --> 0:12:07.640 the White Sox ability to win that game. It is 0:12:07.720 --> 0:12:10.180 really about how game one goes, and it would be 0:12:10.210 --> 0:12:12.569 a great situation if they could win game one of 0:12:12.590 --> 0:12:16.410 the wild card and have Sean Burke start the very 0:12:16.470 --> 0:12:19.450 next game. I feel really confident that the White Sox 0:12:19.490 --> 0:12:22.230 could win in that wild card round and move on 0:12:22.530 --> 0:12:25.950 to the division series because with the crowd last night 0:12:26.670 --> 0:12:31.800 at the stadium, it would be a huge bummer if 0:12:31.860 --> 0:12:35.260 the Chicago White Sox made it. All this effort to 0:12:35.350 --> 0:12:38.470 reach the postseason and they don't get a home playoff game. 0:12:39.250 --> 0:12:41.890 I think we all want to avoid that. And with 0:12:41.929 --> 0:12:45.350 how Sean Burke's been throwing and Munataka Murakami now hitting 0:12:45.370 --> 0:12:49.390 home runs, I'm feeling more confident in this White Sox 0:12:49.429 --> 0:12:53.840 team's ability to make some noise during the postseason. Now, 0:12:53.880 --> 0:12:56.260 another thing that's giving me more confidence about the White 0:12:56.280 --> 0:13:00.480 Sox has been on the pitching side. After Sean Burke, 0:13:01.020 --> 0:13:03.750 the ball went to Hagan Smith. And Hagan has been 0:13:04.010 --> 0:13:06.470 excellent coming out of the bullpen. And then it went 0:13:06.510 --> 0:13:09.710 to Grant Taylor. And Taylor hadn't gotten work in a bit. 0:13:10.510 --> 0:13:14.480 He pitched two excellent innings, striking out three. Didn't allow 0:13:14.530 --> 0:13:17.420 a base runner. Great to see that from Grant Taylor. 0:13:18.240 --> 0:13:20.960 And then Brian Hudson closed out in the ninth inning. 0:13:22.260 --> 0:13:26.160 I wonder, in the bow season, did we see the 0:13:26.220 --> 0:13:33.380 Brian bullpen configuration? Having... Hagan Smith be the first reliever 0:13:33.640 --> 0:13:36.380 out of the bullpen. And then Hagan Smith handing the 0:13:36.400 --> 0:13:40.540 ball to Grant Taylor. Very different pitchers, by the way. 0:13:41.000 --> 0:13:44.620 Hitters are having a terrible time picking up Hagan Smith 0:13:44.679 --> 0:13:48.209 right now. So for the lefties facing Hagan Smith, that's 0:13:48.250 --> 0:13:51.949 not going to be fun. But as the opposing team, 0:13:52.550 --> 0:13:55.610 you're not going to see Hagan Smith more than three innings, 0:13:55.690 --> 0:13:58.609 I think. So if Hagen Smith can give you an 0:13:58.750 --> 0:14:01.550 inning or even two innings, and then the way that 0:14:01.590 --> 0:14:03.890 he pitches is way different than the way that Grant 0:14:03.929 --> 0:14:09.800 Taylor pitches, it's very hard for the opposing lineup to 0:14:10.200 --> 0:14:12.640 pull out the tablet and try to figure out, all right, 0:14:12.720 --> 0:14:15.939 what's my plan of attack against these guys? Because they're 0:14:15.980 --> 0:14:18.780 coming from different directions and they're coming with just completely 0:14:18.860 --> 0:14:23.040 different arsenals. So I really like as far as that configuration, 0:14:23.380 --> 0:14:26.370 and I don't mind Brian Hudson closing out the ninth 0:14:26.400 --> 0:14:29.010 inning of games, if you want Grant Taylor to pitch 0:14:29.030 --> 0:14:30.910 the seventh and eighth inning, if that is truly the 0:14:30.970 --> 0:14:34.250 high leverage situation. Or you can even have Sean Newcomb 0:14:34.330 --> 0:14:36.210 close out games too. But I have a feeling that 0:14:36.230 --> 0:14:39.350 Sean Newcomb may be opening some of these playoff games 0:14:39.790 --> 0:14:42.950 for the White Sox in the postseason. But this is 0:14:42.990 --> 0:14:45.510 something I was thinking about while watching the game last night, 0:14:45.530 --> 0:14:48.310 is that is this the prime configuration? Is this what 0:14:48.330 --> 0:14:51.330 the White Sox want to do? Have Sean Burke go 0:14:51.390 --> 0:14:56.120 five innings. Hagan Smith go six innings. maybe six and 0:14:56.160 --> 0:14:58.120 a third, six and two thirds, and then when a 0:14:58.160 --> 0:15:01.680 tough right-handed batter is stepping up to the plate, do 0:15:01.700 --> 0:15:04.060 you go to Grant Taylor and try to get two 0:15:04.180 --> 0:15:06.320 innings out of Grant Taylor? Now we know that Grant 0:15:06.340 --> 0:15:10.500 Taylor does allow runs from here and there, and he's 0:15:10.540 --> 0:15:13.790 not always perfect, but I wonder if that is the 0:15:13.830 --> 0:15:16.450 strategy to try to get to the ninth inning before 0:15:16.930 --> 0:15:21.210 Brian Hudson or Sean Newcomb, maybe even Jordan Hicks, if 0:15:21.230 --> 0:15:24.110 that ninth inning ends up being a low leverage situation. 0:15:24.390 --> 0:15:26.810 I wonder if we did see the prime configuration for 0:15:26.930 --> 0:15:30.410 White Sox bullpen assignments in last night's game. And if so, 0:15:30.880 --> 0:15:34.560 I do like the strategy, especially because, like I mentioned, 0:15:35.180 --> 0:15:38.460 these guys throw differently. It'd be really difficult for opposing 0:15:38.500 --> 0:15:41.640 teams to game plan and what their plan of attack 0:15:41.680 --> 0:15:45.470 would be in those middle to late third innings of 0:15:45.530 --> 0:15:48.050 a playoff game. We're going to take a quick break 0:15:48.090 --> 0:15:50.330 for a word from our sponsors, but coming up next 0:15:50.450 --> 0:15:53.320 on the Sox Machine podcast, we preview Saturday night's game 0:15:53.760 --> 0:15:57.900 as old friend, Jose Catana returns to the South side. Howard, 0:15:57.920 --> 0:16:00.960 my dad was T-boned by a utility vehicle and is 0:16:01.060 --> 0:16:02.900 in surgery now. 0:16:02.940 --> 0:16:04.020 What should I do? 0:16:04.340 --> 0:16:06.850 I'm sorry to hear about that. It's really great that 0:16:06.880 --> 0:16:08.710 you're getting him the medical care and treatment that he 0:16:08.730 --> 0:16:14.530 needs right now. He's Injuries are unexpected and turn lives 0:16:14.610 --> 0:16:17.480 upside down. I'm Howard Aitken, and I'm here to help. 0:16:17.960 --> 0:16:19.780 If you or a loved one have been hurt at work, 0:16:19.860 --> 0:16:20.120 hurt in a. 0:16:20.120 --> 0:16:24.320 Car, truck, or ride to your accident, call 312-6-MILLION. Injury 0:16:24.360 --> 0:16:26.460 law made personal. That's Aitken Law. 0:16:27.640 --> 0:16:30.840 White Sox fans, catch me, A.J. Pruszynski, on Foul Territory 0:16:31.280 --> 0:16:35.400 every weekday, 12 to 2 Central Time, after Sox Machine. 0:16:35.440 --> 0:16:37.900 We'll talk White Sox. We'll talk all the teams. Come 0:16:37.920 --> 0:16:39.690 here for a fun time the way baseball should be 0:16:39.730 --> 0:16:40.850 covered on Foul Territory. 0:16:40.890 --> 0:16:41.250 See you there. 0:16:41.920 --> 0:16:46.030 Thanks, AJ, and visit the Foul Territory store at FoulTerritoryShop.com 0:16:46.050 --> 0:16:49.320 to pick up your Sam Antonacci, Mutataka Murakami, and now 0:16:49.540 --> 0:16:53.280 a new Tristan Peters shirt. Officially licensed gear for the 0:16:53.320 --> 0:16:57.870 Major League Baseball Players Association. They also have the 2026 0:16:57.870 --> 0:17:04.109 All-Star shirts still in stock. Again, visit FoulTerritoryShop.com. And if 0:17:04.150 --> 0:17:06.950 you don't have plans this weekend, our friends over at 0:17:06.970 --> 0:17:10.919 the Chicago Sports Bums are hosting their last Whiskey at 0:17:11.020 --> 0:17:16.160 Comiskey game. tailgates on saturday september 26th in lot b 0:17:16.580 --> 0:17:19.480 against the colorado rockies these are always fun so if 0:17:19.530 --> 0:17:23.010 you want to party with other white socks fans and 0:17:23.070 --> 0:17:26.909 pre-game before saturday night's game go visit our friends the 0:17:26.950 --> 0:17:30.310 chicago sports bums in lot b for their final whiskey 0:17:30.390 --> 0:17:33.990 at comiskey look for the chicago sports bums flag in 0:17:34.080 --> 0:17:37.440 the parking lot as you approach the stadium Welcome back 0:17:37.480 --> 0:17:41.030 to the Sox Machine Podcast. Your Saturday night game between 0:17:41.050 --> 0:17:43.649 the Rockies and the Chicago White Sox. Davis Martin will 0:17:43.690 --> 0:17:45.900 take the ball for the White Sox. He's 9-7 this 0:17:45.940 --> 0:17:50.140 year with a 3.84 earned run average. And if he 0:17:50.240 --> 0:17:53.520 pitches five innings against the Rockies, he will eclipse 150 0:17:53.520 --> 0:17:57.140 innings for this season, which is a good mark for Davis. 0:17:57.500 --> 0:18:00.580 He has 121 strikeouts this year to just 45 walks, 0:18:00.920 --> 0:18:04.859 and his whip is 1.29. Opposing Davis Martin and making 0:18:04.900 --> 0:18:07.939 the start for the Rockies is old friend Jose Quintana. 0:18:08.560 --> 0:18:11.830 Jose Quintana hasn't pitched much this season. He's only thrown 0:18:11.830 --> 0:18:14.370 45 innings, and he's not striking out a whole lot 0:18:14.410 --> 0:18:17.250 of batters. He only has 22 strikeouts this year to 0:18:17.290 --> 0:18:20.369 just 18 walks, and his whip is above 1.5. And 0:18:20.810 --> 0:18:23.470 his earned run average is above 5 for the year. 0:18:23.530 --> 0:18:28.600 He's at 5.40. And with the left-handed starting pitchers for 0:18:28.619 --> 0:18:31.020 the White Sox, the offense has been doing a lot 0:18:31.100 --> 0:18:34.300 better job of hitting these left-handed pitchers. That was a 0:18:34.359 --> 0:18:38.150 big concern, right? Like, where are the right-handed bats? And 0:18:38.330 --> 0:18:40.830 maybe the White Sox need to acquire right-handed bats so 0:18:40.890 --> 0:18:44.630 they produce better against the lefties. That really hasn't been 0:18:44.670 --> 0:18:47.470 the case. And it's going to be great to see 0:18:47.510 --> 0:18:50.550 Jose Catana. The last time Jose Catana started for the 0:18:50.630 --> 0:18:53.580 White Sox was against the Rockies all those years ago 0:18:53.680 --> 0:18:57.780 before Catana got traded to the Chicago Cubs. And it's 0:18:57.840 --> 0:19:01.440 amazing that that was like, what, 10 years ago for 0:19:01.460 --> 0:19:05.600 that trade for the White Sox and the Cubs, maybe 0:19:05.619 --> 0:19:09.120 even maybe nine years ago. I don't know how many 0:19:09.160 --> 0:19:13.260 more games Jose Katana is going to have in the majors. 0:19:13.320 --> 0:19:15.740 So this might be the last time that Katana pitches 0:19:15.780 --> 0:19:19.179 in the South Side. And I've always appreciated what he 0:19:19.240 --> 0:19:22.600 did for the White Sox when he was with the organization. 0:19:22.640 --> 0:19:25.060 He was just a really solid starter in his time 0:19:25.080 --> 0:19:27.679 with the White Sox. First pitch of this game is 0:19:27.700 --> 0:19:30.240 going to be at 6.10 p.m. Central Time. The weather 0:19:30.270 --> 0:19:36.389 looks perfect for late fall baseball as the temperature at 0:19:36.410 --> 0:19:39.410 game time should be around 62 degrees and it will 0:19:39.430 --> 0:19:42.820 be dry, which is key for around Major League Baseball 0:19:42.820 --> 0:19:46.450 as the Nor'easter has really complicated things on the East 0:19:46.450 --> 0:19:48.889 Coast as the Red Sox and Cubs have to move 0:19:48.890 --> 0:19:52.150 their final game of the season down to Tampa Bay, 0:19:52.190 --> 0:19:55.010 but that does not appear to be the case for 0:19:55.050 --> 0:19:59.410 the White Sox. Again, we'll be recapping this game on SoxMachine.com. 0:19:59.850 --> 0:20:03.570 We'll see how the White Sox fare against Quintana and 0:20:03.609 --> 0:20:06.970 the Rockies pitching staff. And of course, we're all paying 0:20:06.990 --> 0:20:09.909 attention to the playoff picture once again. And taking a 0:20:09.950 --> 0:20:12.810 look at the playoff picture, the White Sox currently would 0:20:12.850 --> 0:20:16.890 be the sixth seed and paying attention to How Houston 0:20:16.930 --> 0:20:20.679 and Texas fare, because that could be a possible first-round matchup. And, 0:20:20.700 --> 0:20:25.180 of course, what's happening out in Kansas City. You're pitching 0:20:25.200 --> 0:20:31.080 problems for this weekend's slate of games elsewhere. As in 0:20:31.340 --> 0:20:34.540 Kansas City, it'll be Tanner Bybee. He'll be making the 0:20:34.560 --> 0:20:37.270 start for the Guardians against Michael Wacca of the Kansas 0:20:37.290 --> 0:20:39.840 City Royals. That first pitch is going to be at 0:20:39.840 --> 0:20:42.460 6.10 p.m. Central Time. So Guardians and Royals will be 0:20:42.480 --> 0:20:44.669 playing the same time as Rockies and White Sox. We 0:20:44.710 --> 0:20:48.270 all continue to scoreboard watch in what is happening out 0:20:48.390 --> 0:20:51.109 in Kansas City. And then in the West, these are 0:20:51.130 --> 0:20:54.550 going to be pretty late games for the Astros and Athletics. 0:20:54.590 --> 0:20:58.970 This is 8.40 p.m. Central Time. Hayden Wisniewski will be 0:20:59.010 --> 0:21:01.800 starting for the Astros. He's been very good for them. 0:21:01.859 --> 0:21:05.060 Jack Perkins will be making the start for the Athletics. 0:21:05.080 --> 0:21:07.949 So the advantage should be on the Astros' side. And 0:21:08.010 --> 0:21:10.770 for the Texas Rangers, they're going to old reliable Nathan 0:21:10.890 --> 0:21:14.380 Eovaldi to make the start against the Minnesota Twins. Eovaldi 0:21:14.440 --> 0:21:17.600 is 11-10 this year with a 4.27 earned run average, 0:21:17.940 --> 0:21:22.010 and Bailey Ober making the start for Minnesota. And, of course, 0:21:22.030 --> 0:21:26.200 we're also still paying attention into the National League as 0:21:26.220 --> 0:21:30.899 the Padres and Diamondbacks continue to battle. The Diamondbacks still 0:21:30.960 --> 0:21:34.889 trying to hold on to whatever hope they have of 0:21:34.930 --> 0:21:39.170 reaching the postseason. The Diamondbacks are 86-74. They're only a 0:21:39.230 --> 0:21:41.970 game back of the Philadelphia Phillies, in which the Phillies 0:21:42.109 --> 0:21:44.250 are playing against the Tampa Bay Rays. So this is 0:21:44.290 --> 0:21:48.619 a tough series for the Phillies. They lost last night 2-0. 0:21:48.940 --> 0:21:52.580 So there's still hope for the Diamondbacks. And man, what 0:21:52.619 --> 0:21:55.170 a dramatic turn of events would that be if Philadelphia 0:21:55.210 --> 0:22:00.010 does not make it into the postseason. They are at risk. Meanwhile, 0:22:00.050 --> 0:22:03.640 the Padres at 89 and 71. The Cubs are 88 0:22:03.640 --> 0:22:06.399 and 73. The Cubs have already clinched a playoff spot. 0:22:07.080 --> 0:22:11.200 But if the Padres are able to beat the Diamondbacks, 0:22:11.700 --> 0:22:15.740 the Padres will clinch a home game during the wild card. 0:22:15.840 --> 0:22:18.310 So it's really looking like the Cubs could be traveling 0:22:18.480 --> 0:22:22.090 out to San Diego to face a very hot San 0:22:22.109 --> 0:22:24.830 Diego Padres team. So neither the White Sox or Cubs 0:22:24.869 --> 0:22:28.690 looking at a Chicago perspective for the upcoming playoff matchups. 0:22:29.530 --> 0:22:32.389 They will not be easy tests in the opening round 0:22:32.490 --> 0:22:34.560 because if the White Sox do have to face the 0:22:34.580 --> 0:22:38.180 Houston Astros, that series did not go well earlier this 0:22:38.260 --> 0:22:40.020 year for the White Sox as they end up losing 0:22:40.060 --> 0:22:43.679 three out of four against Houston. But so much is 0:22:43.700 --> 0:22:47.600 still riding. Again, lots of scoreboard watching. I'll be watching 0:22:47.640 --> 0:22:50.290 that scoreboard along with you guys. But the White Sox 0:22:50.330 --> 0:22:52.949 do need to take care of business first against old 0:22:53.010 --> 0:22:56.970 friend Jose Catana. We'll see if Mutataka Murakami has another 0:22:57.010 --> 0:23:01.780 home run in him tonight. And hopefully Davis Martin continues 0:23:01.840 --> 0:23:06.250 to be effective and that right calf is not barking 0:23:06.350 --> 0:23:07.950 on him. So he can go a little bit deeper 0:23:07.970 --> 0:23:10.730 into game that we can gain more confidence. And I 0:23:10.770 --> 0:23:14.150 think that's the key here. The White Sox are giving 0:23:14.210 --> 0:23:17.129 reasons to regain confidence in how well they have played 0:23:18.280 --> 0:23:20.939 in recent days. They are five and one in their 0:23:20.980 --> 0:23:24.580 last six games. And with the offense now scoring and 0:23:24.619 --> 0:23:28.060 the bullpen starting to settle, and with the high-octane arms 0:23:28.080 --> 0:23:31.260 that they have, and how well the rookie pitchers, Hagan 0:23:31.300 --> 0:23:33.480