Chicago has reached the point in October where labels no longer matter much. Starter, reliever, bulk arm, closer — the White Sox have treated every available pitcher as a possible piece of the same nightly puzzle, and with a chance to finish the American League Division Series at Rate Field on Wednesday, they are sticking with the formula.
Left-hander Sean Newcomb will take the ball first for Game 3 against Cleveland, with first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. CT) on TBS, truTV, UniMas and HBO Max. It will be an opener assignment for the 10-year veteran, who worked two innings out of the bullpen in Chicago’s 4-3 Game 2 victory Monday.
Newcomb struck out three Guardians and did not allow an earned run in that appearance, though a throwing error helped Cleveland score twice. Otherwise, he provided a steady middle bridge after Anthony Kay opened and before Sean Burke handled the heavier workload. Now Newcomb gets the first crack at a Cleveland lineup whose upper portion carries several left-handed bats.
Manager Will Venable said the club’s exact pitching sequence remains fluid, particularly because Game 3 is followed immediately by another scheduled game rather than an off-day. The White Sox could have a different availability picture than they did in the first two games.
“Sean Newcomb is going to begin the game for us,” Venable said. “As we looked at the availability of the pitchers we have been using, we expect some adjustments in who can be used and how the game may unfold, with no break following Game 3.”
Newcomb enters with a solid regular-season foundation: a 3.09 ERA, 84 strikeouts and 90 1/3 innings. His results were nearly even against hitters from either side of the plate, giving Chicago flexibility beyond the immediate matchup value against Cleveland’s lefties.
This will mark Newcomb’s ninth playoff outing. He owns a 2.38 ERA across 11 1/3 postseason innings, although he has started just once before in October — Game 3 of the 2018 National League Division Series for Atlanta. The moment will be louder this time, with Chicago trying to secure its first home postseason series win since 1906 and advance to the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2005.
“It feels like any appearance, except the energy is turned up a little,” Newcomb said. “Knowing the bullpen has been pitching so well makes the job easier for everyone.”
A bullpen built for changing jobs
The White Sox have options if Newcomb’s outing is brief. Left-handers Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith, along with right-handers Davis Martin, Erick Fedde and David Sandlin, are among the possible answers. Schultz, Martin, Fedde and Sandlin have yet to appear in the series, while Smith already delivered 2 2/3 scoreless innings when he started Game 1.
The game situation will shape much of Venable’s decision-making. If Chicago holds a lead, Smith and closer Grant Taylor figure to be central figures. Taylor has already worked a 12-out save in Game 1 and followed it with a four-out save in Game 2. Jordan Hicks has also been sharp, throwing four scoreless innings this postseason.
Through four playoff games, Chicago’s staff has recorded a 1.75 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 36 innings. Those numbers have come from a staff willing to abandon conventional routines, with pitchers accustomed to starting games taking short assignments and relievers being asked for more than their usual share.
“Some of the guys who normally start are coming in for two innings, or even one out, whatever the team needs,” Taylor said. “Everybody in that bullpen is prepared to do the necessary work. We have handled it well over these last four games, so there is no reason to question whether it can continue.”
General manager Chris Getz said the arrangement has worked because the pitchers have embraced it rather than merely accepted it. In a postseason where the line between rotation and bullpen has been erased, Chicago’s arms have made the shifting assignments look like a club strength instead of a complication.
“The players have bought into this all-hands approach because we believe in it and they believe in it, too,” Getz said. “There has been no resistance. They are playing for one another.”
