White Sox uncertain pitching plans could change the way Guardians build their lineup in ALDS

For decades, postseason baseball meant watching some of the best starters in baseball empty the tank night after night to try to keep their team’s season alive. 

While there are still plenty of starters who still pitch until the weeks fall off in the postseason, the White Sox’s Wild Card Series against the Astros featured plenty of pitching madness.

Both teams started the series with bullpen games, and the longest pitching appearance in the series was Sean Burke’s four inning start in Game 2. 

It was unconventional, but it worked (for the White Sox at least). And it looks like that pitching madness will carry over the White Sox’s best-of-five matchup against the Guardians in the ALDS, which could end up having a huge impact on how the Guardians build their lineup for Game 1 of the ALDS. 

The White Sox could negate the Guardians' platoon advantage with pitching madness

Even if the Guardians’ lineup construction has been a bit more consistent this season compared to last year, they still love to lean on whatever platoon advantage they can get.

But that’s a bit easier when you’re going against a starter with intentions of going deep in a game compared to a cavalcade of relievers pitching for an inning or two. 

White Sox manager Will Venable said that he was still working through Chicago’s pitching plans for Saturday’s series opener, but the main option seems to be Davis Martin, whether that be via a traditional start or in front of an opener. 

The White Sox led MLB in opener usage (31 times), so it’s going to happen at some point in the series — it’s just a matter of whether it’s going to come in Game 1 of the series. 

And whether the White Sox use an opener in front of Burke or go as far as to have a bullpen game in the series, any kind of deviation from non-tradiational pitching plans could put the Guardians in the exact kind of situation they don’t want to be in. 

The Guardians have been using first base as a mini-platoon (even if it’s been 75% Nathaniel Lowe and 25% David Fry), and they’ve also adjusted their outfield arrangement based on the handiness of the pitcher they were facing. 

Fry stands out as their biggest late-game pinch-hit weapon, but the White Sox using an opener or bullpen game could lead to that pinch-hit opportunity never coming, or him only playing half a game before getting pulled for a pinch-hitter against a right-handed pitcher. 

The Guardians are as intimately familiar with the White Sox’s pitching staff as any staff in MLB, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be an easy series.

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