With a young core and some prized offseason acquisitions jelling, the host Chicago White Sox will try to sweep the reigning American League champion Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon.

Chicago followed a 5-4 series-opening win in 10 innings on Friday with a 6-3 victory Saturday. Munetaka Murakami belted a two-run homer and Colson Montgomery added a solo shot in a go-ahead, three-run sixth inning.

White Sox fans erupted after Murakami’s blast. The former slugger in Japan’s Central League belted his first homer at Rate Field and fourth in eight games to begin his major league career.

“It’s just such a wonderful feeling to hit in front of these crowds,” Murakami said through an interpreter.

Closer Seranthony Dominguez, who signed with Chicago about a month after Murakami, worked around a walk and single in the ninth to pick up his first save.

Toronto has lost four of five after sweeping the Athletics in its opening series. Fielding and baserunning mistakes were costly Saturday.

“We’ve set the tone here to what we expect,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said, “and if you’re not doing it, someone else will get a chance to do it.”

The Blue Jays placed catcher Alejandro Kirk (fractured left thumb) on the 10-day injured list Saturday after he was injured in the series opener. Tyler Heineman got the start behind the plate but made a throwing error on a failed rundown that led to two unearned insurance runs for the White Sox in the eighth inning.

Brandon Valenzuela is expected to be behind the plate for Toronto on Sunday in his major league debut.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. delivered his first home run of the season for Toronto on Saturday and has hit safely in three of the past four games.

Blue Jays left-hander Eric Lauer (1-0, 3.38 ERA) will be pitching on one week of rest when he gets the call Sunday.

Lauer initially had been set to pitch Saturday but was dealing with the flu.

“We have the luxury to just give him an extra day,” Schneider said.

Lauer defeated the Athletics last Sunday. scattering two runs and three hits in 5 1/3 innings with one walk and nine strikeouts.

Striking out the side in the first inning set the tone for Lauer, who collected his most strikeouts since also recording nine on Sept. 29, 2022.

“He pitched with a lot of conviction and a lot of confidence,” Schneider said. “He’s really good when he’s mixing his pitches and when he’s executing. I think that’s what led to the strikeouts.”

Lauer lost to the White Sox in his lone career appearance against them last season. Pitching in Chicago on July 9, he allowed two runs and four hits in four innings with one walk and seven strikeouts.

White Sox righty Davis Martin is slated to make his first career start and second appearance against the Blue Jays. He faced six Toronto hitters in a June 2022 relief outing, recording just one out while allowing three runs and three hits with two walks.

Martin (1-0, 5.40 ERA) earned the victory at Miami on Monday, scattering three runs and five hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out six while hitting a batter.

–Field Level Media

Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy had to be convinced that center fielder Garrett Mitchell belonged on the big-league roster.

Mitchell provided a strong case in Milwaukee’s doubleheader split with the host Kansas City Royals on Saturday. The Brewers will vie for a series win on Sunday afternoon.

Mitchell was 2-for-4 with a run, a double, a home run and five RBIs in Milwaukee’s 5-2 victory in the opener of the doubleheader. He went 1-for-4 with an RBI double in an 8-2 setback in the nightcap.

“I was the first one to believe that Garrett wasn’t ready,” Murphy said. “He had a poor result in spring training but he was healthy. It was really the front office that was adamant that this guy could be our best player in a lot of ways.

“I was skeptical, I thought (Mitchell) didn’t have enough at-bats and had been out for a long time. But the front office convinced me that it was the right thing to do to have him on our team. He’d done OK so far in the first six or seven games. But today was a showcase of what he can do and that is pretty special.”

After an oblique strain and shoulder injury forced him to miss most of the 2025 season, Mitchell is looking for a return to the form of his 2024 rookie campaign.

Mitchell had a .255 batting average, .342 on base percentage and .469 slugging percentage to go along with eight homers and 21 RBIs in 69 games in 2024.

After contributing three extra-base hits in the doubleheader, Mitchell was confident he can continue to string together quality at-bats.

“There’s nothing better than being back out here with the boys and playing,” he said. “Home run or not, that’s not what I am looking for, I’m just trying to put together some good at-bats. But I really like the way I am swinging it right now.”

The Brewers are expected to call on Kyle Harrison (0-0, 1.80 ERA) to get the start, while the Royals are set to counter with fellow left-hander Kris Bubic (1-0, 1.50).

Harrison allowed one run on four hits and struck out eight batters in five innings of a no-decision against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday. He allowed one run on one hit in 1 1/3 innings in relief without getting a decision in his lone career encounter versus Kansas City.

Bubic yielded one run on two hits in six innings of a 3-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Monday.

He has yet to allow an earned run in three career meetings with Milwaukee. He is 1-1 with 19 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings versus the Brewers.

The Royals’ pitching staff has had its hands full with the Brewers’ potent offense.

“With all things we want high quality,” Mitchell said. “We want to put together long innings; that’s Brewers’ baseball.”

Kansas City sent 12 batters to the plate — including nine with two outs — in the sixth inning of the nightcap.

“It was pretty good to see the offense come to life,” Royals catcher Salvador Perez said. “I just try to do my job every night to help my team win. Today is over, we have to concentrate on tomorrow, go get in a quick recovery and get ready.”

–Field Level Media

The Minnesota Twins have not won a series yet this season.

They have an opportunity to do so in front of their home fans on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.

The Twins will square off against the Tampa Bay Rays in the rubber match of a three-game set. Minnesota won the series opener 10-4 on Friday night before Tampa Bay responded with a 7-1 victory on Saturday evening.

Twins manager Derek Shelton acknowledged that a lineup overrepresented with left-handed hitters made it harder to be flexible with certain pitching matchups.

“The fact we’re a little left-handed heavy may be something we have to look at as we get farther down the road,” Shelton said.

The series finale should give the Twins a chance to showcase their left-handed hitters.

The Rays will start right-hander Nick Martinez (0-0, 3.00 ERA). He also is making his second start after allowing two runs on six hits in six innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday.

Martinez, 35, has faced the Twins seven times, including six starts. He is 1-2 with a 7.20 ERA in those matchups, and he has allowed 24 earned runs on 43 hits in 30 innings.

Rays manager Kevin Cash observed Martinez this spring and recognized that he is a complete teammate.

“He’s available, and he initiates conversation,” Cash said. “He initiates support. He’s actively having conversations with position players and pitchers alike. It’s easy to talk to your buddies about pitching, but I’m watching him interact with our position group.”

The Twins will counter with right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson (0-1, 3.60), who will make his second start of the season. He allowed two runs on five hits in five innings in his 2026 debut against the Kansas City Royals on Monday.

Woods Richardson has faced the Rays two times in his career. He is 0-0 with a 4.66 ERA in those outings, and he has walked four and struck out eight in 9 2/3 innings.

Byron Buxton was out of the lineup Saturday after being hit on the right forearm in Friday’s series opener. Buxton sustained a bruised arm and X-rays were negative.

If Buxton returns to the lineup, he will look to break out of an early-season slump. He is hitting .154 (4-for-26) with no homers and one RBI in his first seven games.

Twins infielder Luke Keaschall said he and his teammates will need to show more strike-zone discipline in the season finale.

“We didn’t get a lot of hittable pitches, and we probably left the zone a little bit too much,” Keaschall said.

Meanwhile, Chandler Simpson continues to swing a hot bat for the Rays. He went 2-for-5 on Saturday and is hitting .414 this season with a .469 on-base percentage.

Cash has been fielding questions about potentially promoting Simpson to the Rays’ leadoff position.

“There is a lot of conversation about Chandler,” he said. “I totally appreciate and understand the thought, the sentiment, that Chandler could be your prototypical leadoff hitter.

“He very well may be. But right now, he’s not.”

–Field Level Media