Cleveland Guardians (2) at Chicago White Sox (6), 4:00 PM ET

CLE: Joey Cantillo (11-9, 3.62 ERA, 98 DRA-), before and after other guys
CWS: Noah Schultz (4-9, 5.57 ERA, 118 DRA-), before and after other guys

Here are some of the other guys, who happen to be pitching the first inning.

In each of Cantillo’s last three regular season outings—the last of which came on September 24—he directly followed Daniel Espino as the opener. The pairing makes sense. Espino, who at one point was one of the most promising pitching prospects in the sport, has overcome endless injuries and emerged with his excellent stuff mostly intact. He’s a righty with a powerful delivery and a 98-101 mph fastball that almost looks easy to throw, a 92 mph slider, and a big, slow curveball. Espino came on in relief of Parker Messick in Game One to face the top of the White Sox order and got out of a mess in the fifth inning. He’s likely to pitch a single inning before making way for Cantillo.

Cantillo is almost the opposite of Espino, and not just because he’s left-handed. Espino’s delivery is straightforward; Cantillo has a funky, overhand slot paired with big extension down the mound, which is already an odd combination. Espino is a high-octane modern reliever, all fastballs and sliders; Cantillo’s mix is classic, with a big curveball and a parachute changeup complementing his 92 mph fastball. (The one thing they do share is wayward command.) The left-hander was a regular starter for Cleveland this year and a totally passable one, but some late season slumps got him into the role of bulk pitcher instead. He hasn’t pitched in a good while, which is always something to consider.

While Espino followed by Cantillo makes sense, however, this is very much an all-hands-on-deck situation for the Guardians. That means no one sticks around for long and everything is on the table, including starters Foster Griffin and Tanner Bibee coming on in relief if needed, even if it’s just for a handful of outs. That Cleveland took as long as they did to announce their pitching plans should tell you something.

And as for the Sox, who also took their time to tell me what to write or not write…

*shrug*

Look, the White Sox have yet to throw a traditional pitching plan at us this October, and they won’t do it for Game Three either. Sean Newcomb will open and probably go short after throwing 41 pitches on Monday, but after him it’s very hard to guess. Hagen Smith (1.29 ERA, 79 DRA-) opened Game 1 and threw over 50 pitches—he would be on three days of rest for Game Three, so perhaps they’ll save him for a hypothetical Game 4 or the first Game of the ALCS if they get there. Maybe it’s fellow rookie lefty Noah Schultz (5.57 ERA, 118 DRA-), who like Smith features big stuff from the left side and shaky command; Schultz is yet to pitch this October. But maybe it’s one of their right-handed starters who are also yet to pitch such as Davis Martin (3.95 ERA, 105 DRA-) or veteran Erick Fedde (3.83 ERA, 128 DRA-).

Part of the magic of the White Sox’s chaotic pitching plans comes from the fact that they have tons of guys who can take the ball and give them three or four frames. No matter who is the bulk pitcher, however, it’s unlikely they stick around as long as Sean Burke did in Game Two. It’s certainly fun that the choice seems to come down to a fairly wild left-handed rookie with strikeout potential (Smith or Schultz) or a more veteran righty who survives mostly on off-speed mastery (Fedde or Martin).

I believe the most likely and logical choice for bulk work (re: three innings) should be 23-year-old Noah Schultz, a 6-foot-10 lefty with a slingin’ low slot, good arm strength, and an arsenal that moves mostly east-west. His sweeper is one of the filthiest pitches in the majors and he can make the ball dance in every direction between his changeup, sinker, cutter and curve, but his poor four-seam fastball shape leaves him vulnerable to right-handed batters; 10 of the 11 homers he allowed this regular season came against opposite-handed hitters. As Cleveland is very weak against left-handed pitching, I would also expect to see Hagen Smith for multi-inning relief if manager Will Venable thinks he can ice the series in this game. Smith, like Schultz, is a rookie lefty with a beast of a slider and a low-slot delivery. Unlike Schultz, Smith’s fastball shape is good and works beautifully as an upshot heater—his 37% strikeout rate was no accident. Whoever comes in after Newcomb, they’re A) likely to be left-handed, and B) likely to be somewhat new for October.