Sonny Gray (13-7, 2.28 ERA) starts for the Oakland Athletics (61-82) as they square off against John Danks (7-12, 4.60 ERA) and the Chicago White Sox (67-74) in the first of a four-game series at U.S. Cellular Field. Action begins at 8:10 p.m. ET on Monday, Sep. 14 and can be seen on CSCA and CSCh.
Danks pitched 9.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering one run, striking out five and walking one in a 12-1 win over the Royals. Adam Eaton (.274, 85 Rs, 13 HRs, 46 RBIs, 14 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday. Gray went 7.0 innings, surrendering zero runs, striking out four and walking two in a 4-0 win over the Astros in his last outing. Ben Zobrist (.288, 69 Rs, 12 HRs, 51 RBIs, 2 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Athletics, going 2 for 5 yesterday with one run.
Oakland takes on Chicago as a -120 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at seven runs. The White Sox have an overall money line of -781 and a record as the underdog of 35-43. Chicago has gone 5-1 in its last 10 as underdog. The White Sox have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 5.4 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 4.0 runs per game.
In games where it is the favorite, Oakland has a 33-36 record and an overall money line of -2,682. Oakland’s pitching staff is one of the top in the AL, with a 3.83 ERA. When it comes to issuing walks, the Athletics have the fifth-fewest in the AL with an average of just 2.7 walks allowed per game. The Athletics have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an AL-best 7.6 strikeouts per road game, making them one of the top five teams in the league.
The White Sox have the edge in the season series, 3-0. The White Sox have a 51-58 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Gray takes the mound. Danks (LHP) will be on the hill against the Athletics, who have inferior records against left-handed starting pitchers on the road and overall of 2-14 and 13-28, respectively.
Predictions: SU Winner – Oak, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Chicago is 31-27, while Oakland is 26-37.
The Athletics are coming off of a weak pitching game where they recorded six strikeouts. The White Sox have a record of 29-21 when opponents’ pitchers have that many strikeouts or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Athletics are 46-21. The White Sox have a 54-12 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 27th, Chicago is near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 553 this season. Oakland ranks in the bottom half at 17th with 596.
Ranking 28th, Chicago is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 334 this season. Oakland ranks in the bottom half at 16th with 406.
The White Sox are 41-37 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Athletics are 40-41 when they hit at least one homer.
