Chicago White Sox manager Will Venable reacts against the Cleveland Guardians during the first inning at Rate Field in Chicago on Aug.7, 2026.
(Michael Reaves/Getty Images)The Chicago White Sox are significantly better than anyone expected them to be this season.They come into today's game with a lead in the American League Central, and they are six games above .500.
They can't let their foot off the gas, as they have three teams within 5.5 games of them, and there are still roughly 35 games to play.For a team that doesn't really have any superstars and doesn't have a true Ace on the roster (aside from maybe Luis Castillo, who is having a down year), this is a really impressive season for the team.The White Sox lost the opener (more on that later), and now look to even up the series.
Tonight, they send out Bryan Hudson to the hill.Hudson is more of an opener than a true starter, as he has had a lot of work out of the bullpen.
This is not the first time Hudson has "started" a game; this is the seventh time.However, you really should only expect the lefty to throw one inning because he has only thrown more than one complete inning in five of his 54 appearances.
None of them were two full innings.The White Sox do have one of the best bullpens in baseball, but they used four guys yesterday, and three of them may not be usable today.Chicago Cubs pitcher Kevin Gausman throws to the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., on Aug.
13, 2026.(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)The Chicago Cubs are about the exact level of successful that you would expect.
They are 20 games over .500, but they are still looking up at the Milwaukee Brewers.They also can't let up on their march to the postseason, as there are plenty of teams chasing them in the Wild Card race.
However, it does seem like they are more comfortable at the moment than most other teams in that race.Their biggest issue seems to be figuring out which pitchers are usabl...