​After being blown out 8-1 in Tuesday’s series opener, the White Sox have a chance to rebound and even the set with the Red Sox. Fortunately for Chicago, Cleveland also dropped a game, allowing the South Siders to maintain their one-game lead in the American League Central despite the lopsided defeat. It was an ugly performance, but the standings remain unchanged.
Davis Martin will take the mound for Chicago, carrying a 9-3 record, a 3.08 ERA, and a 1.26 WHIP. The scouting report on Martin is straightforward: avoid the heart of the plate. Opponents consistently feast on balls left in the middle third of the strike zone, hitting .356 or higher across all three middle-zone locations. In contrast, Martin has found greater success on the edges, particularly up around the top of the strike zone, where hitters are hitting just .188 and .111. Against a Boston lineup that has been swinging well lately, the key will be to live on the edges. If Martin can establish his fastball on the outer edges, keep his secondary pitches below the zone to induce chasing, and avoid leaving too much of the middle in zone, he’ll give himself a real chance to navigate the Red Sox lineup and keep Chicago competitive.
Boston counters with rookie left-hander Jake Bennett, who made his major league debut in May after being acquired in a December 2025 trade with the Nationals. Bennett has been impressive through seven starts, posting a 3-3 record with a 3.10 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP across 40 2/3 innings. The prevailing approach against him is simple: don’t chase up. He is almost untouchable when hitters go up in the zone, where opponents have produced a productive but modest line. Trouble comes when he misses down or leaves something over the middle of the plate. Opponents are hitting over .400 in the middle and above .333 low when they square up those pitches. The Sox need to ignore anything up, work the count, and pounce on mistakes that spill down or sit over the plate for the taking.
If the White Sox are going to salvage the series, their bats must wake up. Over the past week, Chicago has produced just six home runs while batting .220, ranking 22nd in the majors with a tepid .660 OPS. Help is on the horizon, with Munetaka Murakami beginning his rehab assignment in Charlotte, though he’s not expected back before the weekend. Until then, the South Siders must cobble together enough offense to give Martin a real chance.
Here’s how Will Venable will deploy the lineup against Bennett. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on CHSN, with radio coverage on ESPN Chicago 1000.