Danny Duffy (5-5, 4.04 ERA) and Jose Quintana (6-9, 3.50 ERA) take the hill in the last of a three-game series between the Kansas City Royals (65-44) and the Chicago White Sox (51-57) at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. The Royals won the last game 7-6 and Kansas City leads the series 2-0. Action begins at 1:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 9 and can be seen on WGN and FSKC.
Duffy pitched 7.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering one run, striking out two and walking four in a 5-1 win over the Tigers. Lorenzo Cain (.307, 70 Rs, 11 HRs, 48 RBIs, 20 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one run, one RBI, and one stolen base. Quintana went 6.0 innings, surrendering two runs, striking out seven and walking one in a 5-4 defeat to the Rays in his last outing. Jose Abreu (.296, 64 Rs, 21 HRs, 67 RBIs) has been successful at the plate for the White Sox, going 2 for 5 yesterday with two runs, two home runs, and two RBIs.
Kansas City is a -142 favorite against Chicago and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at eight runs. The Royals have recorded an overall money line of +1,809 and have shown high-level performance as a favorite this season with a record of 34-21. Kansas City has had an impressive season against division opponents, earning 15-10 and 28-18 records as the favorite and SU respectively. The Royals are one of the best in the AL in terms of hits with a phenomenal 9.2 per game. As for the pitchers, opposing offenses have been stifled by the Royals, who have a team ERA of only 3.57.
In games where it is the underdog, Chicago has a 25-33 record and an overall money line of -635. They have played poorly as the underdog with a 9-15 record against fellow AL Central members, and a 4-6 record SU. Offensively, the White Sox have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 3.7 runs per game by averaging 5.2 during that stretch. The White Sox have a dynamic offense, ranking third in the league with 282 extra base hits. The White Sox allow 4.4 runs per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 6.5 runs per game during that span. When it comes to issuing walks on the road, the White Sox have the second-fewest in the AL with an average of just 2.4 walks allowed per game.
The Royals have controlled the season series, 9-3. The Royals have a 20-17 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Quintana takes the mound. Duffy (LHP) will be on the hill against the White Sox, who have an 8-12 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC, O/U – Over
Notes
In their last game, the White Sox lost by a margin of one run. The Royals are 17-10 in one-run games. The White Sox have a 21-20 record in close games.
The Royals are coming off of a weak pitching game where they recorded four strikeouts. The White Sox have a record of 9-6 when opponents’ pitchers have that many strikeouts or fewer.
It looks like the Royals have a slight leg up on the White Sox, as the Royals have won their last two games while the White Sox have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the White Sox are 41-10. The Royals have a 52-7 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 29th in runs, Chicago has earned 404 this season. Kansas City ranks 10th with 471 runs.
Ranking 30th, Kansas City is at the bottom of the league in walks, notching 230 this season. Chicago ranks near the bottom at 28th with 251.
When the Royals hit at least one home run, they are 44-17. When the White Sox hit at least one homer, they have a 31-31 record.
