Game Thread: White Sox at Pirates

Can a second-half, fresh start help Chicago turn the tide in Pittsburgh? 

After the All-Star break, the Chicago White Sox are back in action tonight, kicking off the second half of their season with 65 games remaining. They travel to PNC Park to face the Pittsburgh Pirates for a three-game series. The Good Guys are looking for a fresh start in the post-break portion of their schedule and get the ball rolling on a positive note, despite their current 32-65 record. The Pirates, at 39-58, will be looking to defend their home turf.

Taking the mound for the White Sox tonight is righthander Jonathan Cannon. He enters the game with a 3-7 record and a 4.44 ERA over 77 innings this season. The 24-year-old performed well in his last outing on July 11. He contributed to the White Sox’s hard-fought, 11-inning, walk-off win against the Guardians by surrendering just two runs on three hits over five frames. While he has battled some inconsistency this season, his ability to induce weak contact and keep the South Siders in games, for the most part, could be key to Chicago gaining some momentum tonight.

Here’s the Pirates’ lineup that will go up against Cannon. You’ll recognize old friend Tommy Pham leading off.

Opposing Cannon for the Pirates will be southpaw Bailey Falter. The lefty has had a fairly successful season thus far, boasting a 6-4 record with a 3.79 ERA over 97 1⁄3 innings across 19 starts. He has been a pretty consistent performer for Pittsburgh in 2025. However, Falter has shown some vulnerability recently, allowing five home runs in his last two starts, which unfortunately, this power-lacking White Sox lineup will most likely struggle to exploit.

While we don’t have much power to speak of, we have finally arrived at a point in time where there is only one player in the lineup not hitting below .200. Who is that person, you ask? Yeah, it’s Luis Robert Jr. The former All-Star is slashing a paltry .190/.275/.325 with a .600 OPS.

You can watch the broadcast on CHSN at 5:40 p.m. CST, now carried on Comcast, Fubo, and DIRECTV. Don’t have any of those options? Tune in to Len Kasper and Darin Jackson on the radio call at ESPN 1000.