The White Sox return home needing to regain momentum, but a challenging set of pitching matchups awaits in a crucial three-game series against the Guardians.
It was a miserable weekend for the Chicago White Sox in Detroit. A series sweep at the hands of the Tigers came despite the White Sox having ample opportunity to win at least two of the three games.
A blown save by Seranthony Domínguez and a walk-off loss in extra innings on Sunday was the cherry on top. But the White Sox don't have much time to lick their wounds. This week's series against the Cleveland Guardians is the most important one yet during the 2026 season.
It's the first time the White Sox have seen Cleveland all year, and it's an opportunity to recapture some momentum and retake the lead in the AL Central. With a strong week, the White Sox can erase the bad taste left in their mouths from a miserable road trip. But if they continue to struggle, they'll continue to tumble down the standings as they search for solutions.
A big part of it for the White Sox will be the pitching staff. Not just the starting pitching, but the overall struggles on the pitching side of things have made June a really tough month for Chicago. And when you're facing a team like the Guardians, who have one of the best pitching staffs in all of baseball, run prevention comes at a premium.
Here's a look at the probable pitching matchups for the upcoming White Sox-Guardians series and who the White Sox will send to the mound as they try to get some momentum back on their side.
Game 1 - Gavin Williams (9-4, 3.83 ERA) vs. Anthony Kay (6-2, 4.61 ERA)
Game 2 - Parker Messick (7-3, 2.70 ERA) vs. Sean Burke (4-4, 3.89 ERA)
Game 3 - Tanner Bibee (2-8, 4.03 ERA) vs. Erick Fedde (2-6, 4.46 ERA)
On paper, the White Sox have a disadvantage in every single one of these matchups. What stands out to me most is how badly the White Sox need Sean Burke to have his good stuff. He gave the White Sox their only win of the road trip when he tossed 7.1 innings of one-run ball against the Yankees on Thursday.
That lowered his ERA for the season to 3.86, but we've seen Burke be hit or miss at times, either completely dominant or fairly uncompetitive.
The White Sox also need to make sure they actually convert and win games when the pitching staff takes care of business. On Sunday, we saw Davis Martin go six innings while allowing just one run, but an uninspiring offensive performance and a blown save wasted a sharp outing from a starting pitcher. Chicago can't afford to do that against an opportunistic team like Cleveland.
While it might not show in the standings, the White Sox season currently feels like it's on the ropes a bit heading back home for a series with Cleveland. The White Sox desperately need to recapture some momentum, and they need to play well against divisional opponents when this race may come down to just a few games.
If the White Sox can't kick it into gear this week, they'll start falling behind in the standings and become far less likely to make meaningful additions at the trade deadline, which will be needed if this team wants to stay competitive over a full 162-game season.
