After a commanding 9-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, the Red Sox are back at .500 (31-31) and in Chicago for a quartet with the White Sox.
The White Sox are Major League Baseball’s worst team by far, entering the series with a 15-47 record and a minus-140 run differential; every other team has at least 21 wins and a run differential at least 43 runs higher. They’re on a 13-game losing streak, and have only won one of their last 18 games, back on May 16.
That said, anything can happen in baseball; even the 1899 Cleveland Spiders, who lost 134 of their 154 games, won every once in a while. These White Sox swept the Rays – who are currently tied with Boston for third in the American League East – at the end of April. And despite being 21-19 against the White Sox since the start of 2017, the Red Sox have lost the season series three years running.
The Red Sox won’t face Andrew Benintendi this weekend; the 2018 World Series champion outfielder is on the 10-day injured list. Likewise for Tommy Pham, who was briefly a Red Sock in 2022.
They could, however, end up facing Michael Kopech, who was one of the top prospects sent to Chicago in the Chris Sale trade. The right-hander, 28, has had a tumultuous Major League career. Kopech became the White Sox closer this season, after working out of the rotation and bullpen throughout the last three years. Over 25 games, he owns a 4.21 ERA with 35 strikeouts and 15 walks over 25.2 innings. He’s finished 15 games and converted five saves in seven opportunities. On Wednesday night, he gave up a walkoff home run to Mike Tauchman, which cemented the Cubs’ sweep of their crosstown rivals.
Chicago still has centerfielder Luis Robert Jr., who was an All-Star and Silver Slugger last season, but they are reportedly open to trading him and others. ESPN’s Jeff Passan described the club as “open for business,” with Robert, left-hander Garrett Crochet, and Erick Fedde among those who could be wearing another uniform before the July 30 trade deadline.
Red Sox lineup (June 6)
Jarren Duran LF
Enmanuel Valdez 2B
Rob Refsnyder RF
Rafael Devers 3B
Tyler O’Neill DH
Dom Smith 1B
Connor Wong C
David Hamilton SS
Ceddanne Rafaela CF
White Sox lineup (June 6)
Zach DeLoach LF
Nicky Lopez 2B
Luis Robert Jr. DH
Gavin Sheets RF
Andrew Vaughn 1B
Paul DeJong SS
Korey Lee C
Lenyn Sosa 3B
Duke Ellis CF
Red Sox vs. White Sox probable starting pitchers
The Red Sox will have right-hander Tanner Houck, who’s emerged as a veritable ace this season, on the mound.
This will be Houck’s fourth time facing the White Sox, but his first start against them since May 8, 2022. In three career starts against Chicago, he’s allowed nine earned runs (three apiece) and never pitched deeper than 4.1 innings.
That, however, was the old Houck. This Houck owns a 1.85 ERA across his 12 starts, with 75 strikeouts across 78 innings. His 224 ERA+ leads the AL, and his 2.15 FIP and 0.1 HR/9 (home runs per nine innings) are the best marks in the Majors; he’s only given up one home run all year.
The Red Sox lineup will square off against Jake Woodford, a 27-year-old righty who’s only made one start for Chicago this season: he allowed three earned runs on five hits, two walks, and four strikeouts over 4.1 innings. Woodford spent the first five years of his Major League career with the St. Louis Cardinals, with whom he posted a 4.29 ERA across 80 games, including 18 starts and 25 games finished.
How to watch Red Sox vs. White Sox
When: 8:10 p.m. ET
Where: Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago IL
TV: NESN, NBC Sports Chicago (Blackout restrictions may apply)
Red Sox radio: WEEI 93.7 FM, WCCM 1490 AM (Spanish)
White Sox radio: WMVP 1000 AM, WRTO 1200
June 6 in baseball history
1892: Benjamin Harrison is the first U.S. president to attend an MLB game, but the Cincinnati Reds beat the Washington Senators 6-5 in 11 innings.
1920: The St. Louis Cardinals say goodbye to Cardinal Field with a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs. New owner Sam Breadon will move the Cards to Sportsman’s Park, which they’ll share with the St. Louis Browns. Their old ballpark (known as Robison Field until 1917) will be sold, and the profits will finance manager Branch Rickey’s plan to establish the first true farm system. Rickey, a former Major League catcher and professional football player, is just beginning an executive career that will revolutionize Major League Baseball and put him in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1925: Future Red Sox general manager Eddie Collins becomes the sixth member of the 3,000 hits club.
1948: When Stan Spence, Vern Stephens, and Ted Williams hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in the sixth, the Red Sox become the first team in MLB history to hit three consecutive homer in a single inning multiple times in the same season. (The first such instance was on Opening Day.)
1983: The Red Sox select Roger Clemens with the 19th pick in the draft.
1996: At Fenway Park, the Red Sox and none other than the White Sox play the second game in Major League history in which a triple play is successfully turned (Chicago) and a player hits for the cycle (Boston). Red Sox shortstop John Valentin becomes the 14th player in franchise history to cycle, starting with a two-run homer in the first inning, and capped off with a double in the sixth.
2003: Chicago Clubs slugger Sammy Sosa is suspended eight games for using a corked bat in a game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
2007: Padres closer Trevor Hoffman becomes the first pitcher to ever record 500 saves. He’ll retire with 601, a mark only surpassed by Mariano Rivera (652). They remain the only members of the 500 saves club.
2011: With their 1,000th win as a National League team, the Milwaukee Brewers become the first franchise to reach 1,000 wins in both leagues. (They were an AL team from 1969-97.)
(Sources: Baseball-Reference, SABR, Nationalpastime.com)
