Jeff Samardzija (5-4, 4.56 ERA) and Chris Tillman (6-7, 5.67 ERA) take the hill in the second of a three-game series between the Chicago White Sox (35-42) and the Baltimore Orioles (42-38) at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox won the last game 1-0 and Chicago leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 2:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jul. 4 and can be seen on MASN2 and CSN-CHI.
Samardzija is 0-1 with an 8.25 ERA in his appearances against the Orioles, and goes up against a quality Baltimore offense which is batting .258 this season. Avisail Garcia (.277, 30 Rs, 7 HRs, 29 RBIs, 4 SBs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 3. Against the White Sox, Tillman is 3-1 with a 3.18 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 17 strikeouts. Manny Machado (.301, 51 Rs, 16 HRs, 44 RBIs, 11 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
Chicago is a -125 favorite against Baltimore and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at eight runs. The White Sox have an overall money line of -1,043 and a record as the favorite of 20-15. Chicago is an impressive 4-1 as the favorite over its last 10 games. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the White Sox, who rank fourth in the AL in strikeouts per game with 8.3.
In games where it is the underdog, Baltimore has a 16-20 record and an overall money line of +415. Offensively, they average 4.5 runs per game, which is good for third in the AL. The Orioles can change the game with one swing of the bat, ranking fifth in the league with 97 home runs. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Orioles are fifth in the AL on the road with an average of 8.1 hits allowed per away game.
The White Sox have a 29-32 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Tillman takes the mound. Samardzija (RHP) will be on the hill against the Orioles, who have a 32-30 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – BAL, O/U – Over
Notes
Chicago earned its third shutout of the season in its last game. Baltimore has been shut out six times this season.
When the White Sox play into extra innings, they have a 7-2 record. The Orioles are 1-1 when their games exceed nine innings.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Orioles are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The White Sox have a 3-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they are outhit, the Orioles are 5-26. The White Sox have a 7-33 record when opponents outhit them.
Chicago ranks near the bottom of the league at 27th when it comes to home runs, hitting 58 this season. Baltimore ranks in the top five at fifth with 97.
Ranking 11th, Chicago is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.21 per game. Baltimore ranks in the top 10 at seventh with 8.66.
Ranking 30th, Chicago is at the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.653). Baltimore ranks in the top 10 at sixth with an OPS of .737.
The Orioles are 23-26 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The White Sox are 18-29 when they allow at least one homer.
