German Marquez starts White Sox-Padres late-night West Coast game
german marquez did not change the White Sox lineup, but the late-night trip to the West Coast did. Chicago was back to face the Padres in a game thread scheduled for 8:40 p.m. CT, with Andrew Benintendi leading off as designated hitter rather than starting in left field.
The Padres entered at 19-11, while the White Sox were 14-17. For viewers in Chicago, the start time meant the game was set to stretch deep into the evening, on CHSN and WMVP-AM 1000.
Venable’s lineup choice
Will Venable installed Benintendi at designated hitter and kept him in the leadoff spot. That moved one of Chicago’s regular bats away from left field and into a role built around getting the first look at San Diego pitching.
The shift was one of the clearest decisions in the setup for the night. Benintendi’s placement at the top of the order signaled how the White Sox wanted to open against a Padres club that had played itself to a 19-11 mark.
Padres and White Sox records
San Diego came in with the better record, and the White Sox arrived on the West Coast trying to keep pace after opening 14-17. The numbers alone set the frame for the matchup before a pitch was thrown.
Schultz also entered the night with a thin margin for error. The 22-year-old had been spectacular beyond his first inning in the major leagues, even though his 2025 season had been described as not terribly impressive and marred by injury.
Drew Romo’s catching role
Another quiet development had been taking shape behind the plate. Drew Romo was looking more and more like the platoon starter at catcher, and he might even become the starter outright.
That left Edgar Quero in a more uncertain spot if and when Kyle Teel returns. If that happens, Quero might be sent back to Triple-A, a roster wrinkle that could matter as the White Sox sort out who catches and who stays in Chicago.
The immediate next step was the game itself, with first pitch set for 8:40 p.m. CT on CHSN and WMVP-AM 1000. Benintendi, Romo, Schultz, Quero, and Teel all sat inside the same roster picture as the White Sox tried to start the West Coast trip against a Padres club that had been winning more often than losing.
