Chicago

White Sox

Newcomb will get the nod and likely go the first two innings or one time through the lineup, whichever comes first. The White Sox will likely go with a pure bullpen game as they look to clinch a trip to the ALCS for the first time since 2005

Montgomery put Chicago ahead for good by slicing an opposite-field double down the right-field line against Cleveland reliever Erik Sabrowski in the sixth inning. It was his lone hit in four at-bats, but it came at an opportune moment in the low-scoring affair at Progressive Field. The 23-year-old former first-round pick is just 3-for-15 to open the postseason. With the victory, the White Sox have a chance to punch their ticket to the ALCS when they host the Guardians for Game 3 at Rate Field on Wednesday night.

After tossing four shutout frames to close out Game 1 over the weekend, Taylor was summoned to protect a two-run lead with two outs in the eighth inning after Sean Burke gave up a two-out single to Chase DeLauter. He immediately surrendered an RBI triple to Jo Adell, but managed to retire Nathaniel Lowe to keep the lead intact heading to the ninth. He needed just five pitches to set down Angel Martínez, Travis Bazzana and Patrick Bailey in the final frame to give Chicago a commanding 2-0 advantage in the best-of-five series. The hard-throwing 24-year-old reliever has yet to allow a run while striking out 11 batters over seven innings of work this postseason. He’s arguably been the difference in the series through two games. Unreal.

Burke took over after Anthony Kay and Sean Newcomb allowed two runs and recorded seven outs to open the contest and didn’t allow a hit until Chase DeLauter singled with two outs in the eighth inning. The 26-year-old righty, who was arguably Chicago’s best starter during the regular season, has allowed four runs with a 14/1 K/BB ratio across 9 1/3 innings of work in a pair of postseason outings.

Benintendi will hit fifth and be the designated hitter, while Tristan Peters will bat sixth and play center field. Both of them were out for Game 1 against left-handed starter Parker Messick. While Benintendi never entered the game, Peters replaced Randal Grichuk when the Guardians went to the bullpen and went 1-for-2 with a single. Brenton Doyle and Tommy Pham will head to the bench for Game 2.

Antonacci was not in the lineup for Game 1 with the Guardians throwing left-hander Parker Messick, and he mentioned after the game that he was eating an ice cream cone when Munetaka Murakami hit his game-deciding home run. Antonacci will replace Randal Grichuk in the lineup on Monday, and Chase Meidroth, who hit leadoff in Game 1, will move down to eighth in the order.

Bonemer is now 4-for-9 with two doubles, four RBI, and a 2/1 K/BB ratio in two AFL games. The 21-year-old was at DH this game after starting the first game in center field. The White Sox want him to get experience in the outfield this fall, but with Colson Montgomery’s contact issues, we wouldn’t rule out Bonemer just remaining at shortstop for the long term.

Venable also noted that Sean Burke will work behind Kay in a bulk role. Kay threw 22 pitches over 1 1/3 innings out of the bullpen in Game 1, so he shouldn’t be expected to work more than an inning or two before giving way to Burke on Monday.

Bonemer capped off a multi-hit performance in his fall circuit debut by smashing a three-run double in the ninth inning of this one. The 20-year-old infielder, who played just nine late-season contests in center field after spending most of the year at shortstop and third base, is getting some additional reps in the outfield this fall in an effort to expand his avenues to at-bats on Chicago’s rapidly-improving core. He’s coming off a phenomenal minor-league campaign where he hit .251/.380/.551 with 37 home runs and 17 steals in 595 plate appearances between High-A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham. He’s a top-20 range fantasy prospect heading into next spring.

Venable declined to name a Game 2 starter, but went out of his way to state that Burke will play a large role. The 26-year-old struck out eight and allowed three solo homers over four innings in his playoff debut against the Astros earlier this week. It’s possible Chicago decides to throw out an opener ahead of Burke, but he’s going to play a large role in their Game 2 showdown on Monday.