John Danks (6-11, 4.90 ERA) and Taijuan Walker (9-7, 4.72 ERA) are on the hill in the second of a four-game series between the Chicago White Sox (60-66) and the Seattle Mariners (59-69) at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox won the last game 4-2 and Chicago leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 8:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 28 and can be seen on CSCh and RTNW.
Danks pitched 5.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering seven runs, striking out four and walking three in an 8-6 defeat to the Mariners. Jose Abreu (.296, 75 Rs, 24 HRs, 78 RBIs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run and one RBI. Walker went 5.2 innings, surrendering five runs and striking out four in an 8-6 win over the White Sox in his last outing. Nelson Cruz (.320, 76 Rs, 39 HRs, 82 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
Seattle is a narrow -115 favorite over Chicago. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of eight runs. The White Sox have an overall money line of -938 and a record as the underdog of 30-40. The White Sox are one of the best in the MLB in terms of extra base hits with 334. Turning to the pitchers, opponents have consistently been struck out by the White Sox, who rank second in the AL in strikeouts per game with 8.4.
In games where it is the favorite, Seattle has a 35-41 record and an overall money line of -1,701. Offensively, the Mariners have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 3.9 runs per game by averaging 5.2 during that stretch. The Mariners allow 4.6 runs per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 6.2 runs per game during that span.
The White Sox lead the season series, 3-1. The White Sox have a 47-52 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Walker takes the mound. Danks (LHP) will be on the hill against the Mariners, who have a 15-23 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Sea, O/U – Over
Notes
The Chicago batters brought in a solid nine hits last game. Seattle has a record of 18-43 when their opponents get that many hits or more.
When they are outhit, the White Sox are 10-49. The Mariners have a 16-45 record when opponents outhit them.
Chicago ranks near the bottom of the league at 24th when it comes to home runs, hitting 104 this season. Seattle ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 151.
Ranking 12th, Seattle is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.38 per game. Chicago ranks in the top 10 at 10th with 8.59.
Ranking 27th, Chicago is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.688). Seattle ranks in the bottom half at 17th with an OPS of .712.
When the Mariners allow at least one home run, they are 30-56, well-matched with the White Sox who are 28-49 when allowing at least one homer.
