Jeff Samardzija (3-2, 4.58 ERA) and Phil Hughes (3-4, 4.76 ERA) start in the first of a three-game series between the Chicago White Sox (18-20) and the Minnesota Twins (23-17) at U.S. Cellular Field. Action begins at 8:10 p.m. ET on Friday, May. 22 and can be seen on FSN-N and CSN-CHI.
Samardzija is 1-1 with a 7.56 ERA in his appearances against the Twins, and goes up against a quality Minnesota offense which is batting .257 this season. Jose Abreu (.292, 20 Rs, 6 HRs, 22 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday. Against the White Sox, Hughes is 4-5 with a 3.12 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 64 strikeouts. Torii Hunter (.282, 21 Rs, 6 HRs, 24 RBIs, 1 SB) has been successful at the plate, going 3 for 5 Wednesday with three RBIs.
Chicago is a -137 favorite against Minnesota and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at eight runs. The White Sox have an overall money line of -257 and a record as the favorite of 10-8. Within its division, Chicago has a 7-7 record as favorite and an 11-16 record SU. The White Sox have seen a decline in scoring against teams inside their division, averaging 3.2 runs per game. They average 3.7 runs per game on the season. Crossing over to the pitching staff, opposing offenses that come to U.S. Cellular Field have been stifled by the White Sox, who have a team ERA of only 3.29 at home. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the White Sox, who rank fourth in the AL in strikeouts per game with 7.9.
In games where it is the underdog, Minnesota has a 17-15 record and an overall money line of +1,085. They are 12-12 as the underdog against fellow AL Central members, and 14-14 SU. The Twins are tough outs for opponents, ranking fourth in the AL with 8.8 hits per game. When it comes to issuing walks, the Twins have the third-fewest in the AL with an average of just 2.5 walks allowed per game.
The Twins have controlled the season series, 5-2. The White Sox have a 15-15 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Hughes takes the mound. Samardzija (RHP) will be on the hill against the Twins, who have a 10-12 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – MIN, O/U – Over
Notes
The Twins won their last game by a one-run margin. In games decided by one run, the White Sox are 8-4. The Twins are 7-5 in close games this season.
When leading after 7 innings, Chicago is 7-5, while Minnesota is 6-6.
The White Sox managed to give up six walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Twins who are coming in with a 5-0 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
It looks like the Twins have a slight leg up on the White Sox, as the Twins have won their last two games while the White Sox have lost their last three.
When they outhit their opponents, the White Sox are 14-2. The Twins have a 17-0 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 29th in runs, Chicago has earned 140 this season. Minnesota ranks ninth with 183 runs.
Chicago and Minnesota both rank near the bottom of the league in walks. Chicago sits at 25th with 97 this season and Minnesota ranks 23rd with 104.
The White Sox are 9-8 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Twins are 18-4 when they hit at least one homer.
