​For all the surprises we’ve enjoyed during a wonderful first half of the 2026 season for the White Sox, it seems fitting that the club will head into the break by addressing one of the most uncertain questions that will heavily influence whether we witness October baseball in Chicago this year: What exactly can we expect from Noah Schultz for the rest of the season? The 22-year-old makes his third start today after a month-long injury layoff, and the concerns that had started to creep in before his IL stint—namely the inconsistency and the backsliding—remain prominent. He carries a 6.00 ERA through 10 starts, with fewer than a strikeout per inning and more than five walks per nine. His latest outing on Tuesday against Boston epitomized what we’ve seen from him at the major league level so far: five innings of work, but with the bases frequently occupied and the Sox falling behind by multiple runs.
There’s clearly little left for him to prove in the minors, so all that remains is to observe where adjustments will land. The most significant area to watch today is Schultz’s fastball usage. His sinker is the most frequently thrown pitch, accounting for a bit over 25% of his offerings, but it has been repeatedly hammered. His four-seam fastball generates roughly three times as many whiffs and yields expected metrics that are considerably more favorable than those against his sinker. More crucial than the whiffs, however, is Schultz’s ability to keep the sinker on the ground. So far, more than 60% of the batted balls off Schultz have been fly balls, a troubling trend for a ballpark like Rate Field. The average launch angle on contact with Schultz’s sinker sits at 15°, only a few degrees lower than his four-seamer. That places it among the majors’ higher-rate contact statistics, a red flag for a pitcher who must induce grounders to succeed in this environment. So the burning question remains: if the sinker isn’t producing whiffs and isn’t keeping the ball on the ground, what is its purpose? Perhaps today will provide an answer.
Here’s the Athletics’ lineup that may be tested by this hypothesis: [View Link] Meanwhile, despite another power outage yesterday and with a potential sweep and first-half lead on the line, Will Venable is fielding a full-strength Sox lineup against the Athletics’ rising starter, J.T. Ginn. [View Link] It almost feels surreal to consider a Sox lineup that wouldn’t necessarily be markedly improved by inserting Roch Cholowsky into the mix right this second.
First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. CT at Rate Field in Armour Square. If you want to follow along, broadcasts are available on CHSN (TV) and WMVP AM 1000 (radio), as always. Sign up for a user account and gain access to fewer ads, the ability to create community posts, comment on articles and community posts, and new improvements to notifications for better SEO.