In the second of a three-game series between the Detroit Tigers (9-1) and the Chicago White Sox (9-1) at Comerica Park, Anibal Sanchez (1-1, 3.46 ERA) and Chris Sale (1-0, 1.50 ERA) get the ball. The Tigers won the last game 2-1 and Detroit leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 1:08 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 18 and will air on WGN and FSN-DET.
Sanchez is 2-4 with a 3.72 ERA and 1.38 WHIP against the White Sox in his career. Miguel Cabrera (.439, 6 Rs, 2 HRs, 9 RBIs, 1 SB) continued his hot start yesterday, going 2 for 4. In his career against the Tigers, Sale is 5-5 with a 2.84 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 106 strikeouts. Avisail Garcia (.333 ) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
Detroit is a -126 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at seven runs. The Tigers have had an impressive start to its season, earning a record of 4-0 as the favorite and with an overall money line of +748. The Tigers have the most prolific home offense in the entire AL, averaging 7.3 runs per game. The Tigers are an exceptional hitting team with an AL-best 11.7 hits per home game. They have been a terror on the base paths, leading all of baseball with 13 steals. Turning to the pitching staff, the Tigers lead the AL in ERA with a 1.91 team average. The Tigers lead the league in WHIP at 0.84.
On the other side, the White Sox have a record of 1-4 when they are the underdog and are -197 overall with the money line. Against divisional foes, they are 3-5 SU and have played poorly as the underdog with a 1-4 record. The White Sox average just 7.2 strikeouts per game, one of the lowest marks in the AL.
So far this season, the Tigers are 1-0 against the White Sox. Taking the hill against the White Sox will be the right-hander Sanchez. They sport a 3-3 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – DET, O/U – Over
Notes
In their last game, the White Sox lost by a margin of one run. The Tigers are 2-1 in one-run games. The White Sox have a 1-1 record in close games.
The Tigers are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The White Sox have a 3-5 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
It looks like the Tigers have a slight leg up on the White Sox, as the Tigers have won their last three games while the White Sox have lost their last two.
Neither the Tigers (9-0) nor the White Sox (3-0) have lost a game when they outhit opponents.
Ranking 27th in runs, Chicago has earned 25 this season. Detroit ranks second with 56 runs.
Ranking 28th, Chicago is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 15 this season. Detroit ranks in the top five at third with 39.
When the Tigers hit at least one home run, they are 7-1. When the White Sox hit at least one homer, they have a 3-3 record.
