Sale (8-4, 2.23) draws Davis Martin (8-2, 2.61) at Rate Field, first pitch 6:40 PM CT. Two of the better ERAs in the league on the same mound, and the South Side gets the showcase. Sale's last six career starts against his old club have produced a 2-2 record and a 2.92 ERA — most recently a 7-inning, 11-K loss in his 2024 Cy Young run.
Atlanta is 45-22 and clearly the better roster on paper, but the version showing up Wednesday is dinged up. Ronald Acuna Jr. is dealing with left hamstring tightness and is listed day-to-day, Sean Murphy is still in a splint, and Drake Baldwin is just now eyeing live BP. They also dropped the series opener 6-5 on Tuesday, which means Sale needs to stop the bleeding or this turns into a real spot.
Martin has quietly been one of the better arms in the American League — sub-2.00 stretches earlier in the year, 10-strikeout outings against the Angels and Cubs in his rear-view. The catch: his last start was a clunker against Minnesota, 6 earned in 4.2 innings on 92 pitches. Sale wasn't much sharper last time out either, getting tagged for 10 hits in 5.2 against Toronto. Two aces, both coming off losses.
The White Sox at 35-31 are the surprise of the first 10 weeks, and they've got their own injury list — Colson Montgomery is out of the lineup with a back issue, Munetaka Murakami is on the IL with a hamstring, Tyler Gilbert just hit the 15-day with a shoulder impingement. Both bullpens are short, which matters when the total is sitting where it is.
- Day-To-DayBlake Burkhalter RP — Triple-A Gwinnett placed Burkhalter on the 7-day injured list March 27 with back spasms, Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline reports.
- 10-Day-ILRonald Acuna Jr. RF — Manager Walt Weiss said after Tuesday's game against the White Sox that Acuna is day-to-day with left hamstring tightness, Barrett Sallee of 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.
- 10-Day-ILDrake Baldwin C — Baldwin (oblique) is slated to take live batting practice Thursday and Friday and could be cleared to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Gwinnett over the weekend, 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.
- 10-Day-ILKyle Farmer DH — Farmer went 1-for-3 with a double, a run scored and two RBI in Sunday's rout of the Guardians.
- 15-Day-ILTyler Kinley RP — Kinley (4-2) picked up the win over the Nationals on Friday, striking out two in a perfect 11th inning.
- suspensionJurickson Profar LF — Profar will miss the full 2026 season after the appeal of his 162-game PED suspension was denied Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILHurston Waldrep SP — Waldrep (elbow) had his rehab assignment transferred to Double-A Columbus, where he will make his next start Thursday, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.
- 60-Day-ILSean Murphy C — Murphy had the cast on his left hand removed Tuesday and is now wearing a splint to protect his fractured middle finger, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reprots.
- Day-To-DayColson Montgomery SS — Montgomery (back) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against Atlanta.
- Day-To-DayMason Adams RP — The White Sox announced that Adams underwent successful Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILEverson Pereira RF — Pereira (pectoral) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on Friday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILMunetaka Murakami 1B — White Sox manager Will Venable said Monday that Murakami (hamstring) stayed back in Chicago during the team's road trip and was given a platelet-rich plasma injection, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILTyler Gilbert RP — The White Sox placed Gilbert on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a left shoulder impingement.
- 15-Day-ILNoah Schultz SP — White Sox manager Will Venable said Wednesday that Schultz (knee) remains sore and isn't ready to throw a bullpen session, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILJordan Hicks RP — Hicks was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a right lat strain.
- 60-Day-ILAustin Hays LF — Hays has been pulled off his rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte due to a recurrence of left calf soreness, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
Market read: the total opened at -104 to the over and got hammered to +111, meaning the under is the side everyone's leaning into. Two starters with ERAs under 2.70, an Atlanta lineup without Acuna and Murphy, and a White Sox group missing Montgomery and Murakami — that's the math behind the move.