White Sox vs Twins Preview: Young Arms Look to Jumpstart Weekend

The White Sox are rolling right now with five straight wins. They've beaten the Twins twice already this series, scoring 6 and 15 runs in back-to-back games. Chicago's bats are alive and dangerous. Colson Montgomery keeps finding ways to get on base and spark rallies. Munetaka Murakami was crushing the ball too—he homered in consecutive games against Minnesota. The Twins are in a tough spot, losing their last five games. Minnesota needs Joe Ryan to shut down Chicago's offense tonight. If the Twins' pitching breaks down again, this could get ugly fast.

Here's the problem for the White Sox: Munetaka Murakami is hurt. The powerful star pulled a hamstring running to first base and won't play for weeks. That's a huge blow to Chicago's lineup. But the White Sox have other weapons ready. Colson Montgomery is a tall, athletic shortstop with serious potential. He can hit for power, draw walks, and play smart baseball. Lenyn Sosa adds depth to the infield too. Chicago's pitching staff is young but improving. Shane Smith leads the rotation with a 3.10 ERA. The White Sox aren't done fighting despite losing their biggest bat.

Joe Ryan is Minnesota's ace, and he needs to be perfect tonight. The Twins are 27-33 and losing games they should win. Ryan's got great strikeout stuff and keeps runners off base with a 0.59 WHIP. But Minnesota's bullpen is banged up. Cole Sands is hurt. Bailey Ober just landed on the injured list after getting lit up by Pittsburgh. The Twins' rotation is thin right now. If Ryan doesn't pitch deep into this game, Minnesota's relief arms will get tired fast. This is a must-win situation for the Twins to stop the bleeding.