Robert Jr. sitting for Game 1 on Wednesday

Montgomery went the other way against the shift, and Kyle Teel was able to beat out a throw at the plate to give Chicago a 3-0 lead. Montgomery has driven in a pair of runs and hit .333/.455/.778 in his three postseason games.

Taylor’s curveball was simply dominant, and he was able to punch out six over those four innings while allowing only two hits. The right-hander threw 42 pitches after firing 54 of them in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Astros on Tuesday. The White Sox have a day off Sunday, so there’s a chance he could be available for Game 2 come Monday. More than likely, he doesn’t work again until Game 3.

Parker Messick left a breaking-ball near the eyes of Murakami, and he took advantage with a moonshot off the left-hander that gave the White Sox a 2-0 lead and Murakami his first ever postseason homer. It traveled an estimated 440 feet with an exit velocity of 112.1 mph. The 26-year-old also singled and has forged a .273/.308/.545 slash in his first three playoff contests. Chicago now has a 1-0 lead in the series, and will look to steal another game in Cleveland on Monday after a day off.

Smith struck out four, and he was able to work around three free passes while not allowing a hit. In his two playoff appearances, the 23-year-old has yet to allow a run, and he’s shown why he has the stuff to someday be an upper-echelon fantasy starter. He threw 51 pitches in this contest, so he could be a multi-inning option for Game 3 or 4 — if necessary — in Chicago.

Messick was able to get out of a few jams thanks in large part to his six strikeouts, but a poorly located breaking ball to Munetaka Murakami was shellacked out of the park, and the Chicago offense provided nothing while was in the game. Messick pitched well after, and should Cleveland force such a game, he likely will be on the mound for Game 4 of the ALCS.

Simpson missed the final two games of the regular season after fouling a ball off his foot, but he was expected back for this one. Tampa Bay’s lineup: DH Yandy Díaz, 1B Jonathan Aranda, 3B Junior Caminero, C Liam Hicks, LF Simpson, RF Victor Mesa Jr., CF Jonny DeLuca, 2B Richie Palacios, SS Taylor Walls.

That means eight lefties and George Lombard Jr. once again. Trent Grisham didn’t look great in his first start back from a hamstring injury Wednesday, but he is getting the nod over Heliot Ramos tonight. The lineup: DH Ben Rice, LF Cody Bellinger, 1B Luis García Jr., RF Spencer Jones, 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr., CF Trent Grisham, C Austin Wells, 3B Ryan McMahon.

Lane Thomas is back, so the Braves could have put him in left field and used Mauricio Dubón at shortstop against lefty Tarik Skubal. However, since Thomas hasn’t played in weeks and is 0-for-7 with five strikeouts lifetime against Skubal, he’s not starting today. The lineup: DH Drake Baldwin, RF Ronald Acuña Jr., 2B Ozzie Albies, 1B Matt Olson, CF Michael Harris II, LF Dubón, 3B Austin Riley, C Sean Murphy, SS Kim.

Treinen was placed on the injured list on the last day of the regular season with inflammation in his right shoulder. Roberts told reporters that his issue is “not surgical” so if the issue subsides in the coming days/weeks, he could be an option in the late innings for Los Angeles.

Ohtani won’t hit in his typical leadoff spot for Game 1 versus Atlanta, with Mookie Betts hitting leadoff. The official lineup for Los Angeles against the Atlanta bullpen: Betts SS, Ohtani DH, Will Smith C, Freddie Freeman 1B, Teoscar Hernandez LF, Kyle Tucker RF, Andy Pages CF, Max Muncy 3B and Tommy Edman hitting ninth at second base.