Kay Meets Sasaki as White Sox Vs Dodgers Opens 3-Game Set
white sox vs dodgers opened June 13 at Rate Field with Anthony Kay set to start for Chicago and Roki Sasaki lined up for Los Angeles. First pitch was scheduled for 6:40 p.m. CST, and the matchup came with the White Sox riding two straight wins and sitting atop the AL Central for the first time in four years.
Chicago entered the opener after a 3-2 stretch against the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves. That set up a direct test against the reigning World Series champions before the White Sox headed into a road trip to New York and Detroit.
Anthony Kay at Rate Field
Kay took the ball with a 4-0 record and a 3.00 ERA at Rate Field this year. He had gone 4-0 with a 1.95 ERA in May, then ran into trouble last week against the Phillies, when he allowed six earned runs in four innings.
The home split and the rough outing told the full story of Chicago’s starter. He had been reliable enough at Rate Field to give the White Sox a workable chance in a game that mattered more because of the opponent than the date.
Roki Sasaki and Ohtani
Sasaki entered off one of his best recent starts, allowing two hits and striking out 10 over seven innings against the Angels. That form put pressure on Chicago’s lineup from the first inning, especially with Shohei Ohtani absent after tweaking a hamstring on Thursday.
Even without Ohtani, Los Angeles still sent a starter who had just put together seven strong innings, while Chicago answered with a pitcher coming off a sharp month and a blowup against Philadelphia. The contrast gave the opener a clear edge in the mound matchup before a pitch was thrown.
White Sox Momentum
The White Sox had built more than a short burst of form. They had gone 3-2 combined against Philadelphia and Atlanta, and the two wins over the Braves pushed them into first place in the AL Central for the first time in four years.
That made the Dodgers series the next checkpoint, not just another home game. A split or a win in the opener would have carried more weight because it came before the White Sox left for New York and Detroit, with the division lead already in hand and a tougher stretch waiting on the road.
