Erik Johnson (1-0, 4.50 ERA) and Ervin Santana (4-4, 4.93 ERA) are on the hill in the first of a three-game series between the Chicago White Sox (66-72) and the Minnesota Twins (72-67) at U.S. Cellular Field. Action begins at 8:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Sep. 11 and can be seen on CSN+ and FSN.
Johnson pitched 6.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering three runs and striking out three in a 7-5 win over the Royals. Jose Abreu (.295, 84 Rs, 27 HRs, 86 RBIs) continued his strong play Wednesday, going 2 for 4 with one run, one home run, and one RBI. Santana went 8.0 innings, surrendering one run, striking out 11 and walking two in a 3-2 win over the Astros in his most recent start. Brian Dozier (.240, 93 Rs, 27 HRs, 70 RBIs, 11 SBs) went 1 for 5 Wednesday.
The odds for Chicago and Minnesota are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. Within its division, Chicago has a record of 25-35 SU. The White Sox have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 5.6 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 3.9 runs per game. The White Sox are one of the best in the MLB in terms of extra base hits with 366. Crossing over to the pitching staff, opponents have consistently been struck out by the White Sox, who rank third in the AL in strikeouts per game with 8.4.
The Twins are 30-27 against teams in their division. When it comes to issuing walks, the Twins have the second-fewest in the AL with an average of just 2.5 walks allowed per game.
The Twins have controlled the season series, 11-5. The White Sox have a 51-57 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Santana takes the mound. Johnson (RHP) will be on the hill against the Twins, who have a 47-45 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – CWS
Notes
In their last game, the Twins won by a margin of one run. The White Sox are 24-27 in one-run games. The Twins have a 21-18 record in close games.
The White Sox are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Twins have a 31-46 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the White Sox are 10-55. The Twins have a 15-57 record when opponents outhit them.
Chicago ranks near the bottom of the league at 23rd when it comes to home runs, hitting 117 this season. Minnesota ranks in the bottom half at 17th with 133.
Ranking 13th, Minnesota is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.32 per game. Chicago ranks in the top 10 at seventh with 8.67.
Chicago and Minnesota both rank near the bottom of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. Chicago sits at 27th with an OPS of .693 and Minnesota ranks 24th with an OPS of .704.
The Twins are 39-52 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The White Sox are 32-55 when they allow at least one homer.
