Carlos Rodon (1-3, 4.33 ERA) and Clay Buchholz (0-3, 6.51 ERA) are on the hill in the second of a three-game series between the Chicago White Sox (19-8) and the Boston Red Sox (15-11) at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox won the last game 4-1, and Chicago leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 8:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May. 4 and can be seen on WPWR, NESN and ESPN.
Rodon pitched 7.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering six runs (two unearned), striking out seven and walking one in a 6-3 defeat to the Orioles. Buchholz went 6.1 innings, surrendering five runs, striking out two and walking four in a 5-3 defeat to the Braves in his last outing.
The odds for Chicago and Boston are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. The White Sox have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 0.0 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 0.0 runs per game. Chicago is one of the best in the AL in terms of walks at home, earning an average of 4.3 per game. Chicago’s pitching staff has been doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, only allowing an average of 0.0 runs per game, well under their season average of 0.0. The White Sox are the third-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.117 so far this season. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the White Sox, who rank second in the AL in strikeouts per home game with 6.6.
Offensively, the Red Sox have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 0.0 runs per game by averaging 0.0 during that stretch. The Red Sox are an excellent base-stealing team with an MLB-best 22 stolen bases. The Red Sox allow 0.0 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 0.0 runs per game during that span.
The White Sox have the edge in the season series, 1-0.
Predictions: SU Winner – BOS
Notes
The White Sox are coming into this game after allowing no walks during their last outing. The Red Sox have a 1-1 record when opponents don’t give up any walks.
When they are outhit, the Red Sox are 1-7. The White Sox have a 2-8 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 23rd in home runs, Boston has hit 22 this season. Chicago ranks 16th with 25 home runs.
Ranking 18th, Chicago is in the bottom half of the league in hits, notching 8.04 per game. Boston ranks in the top five at second with 9.81.
Ranking 20th, Chicago is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.702). Boston ranks in the top 10 at sixth with an OPS of .787.
When the Red Sox allow at least one home run, they are 9-8, well-matched with the White Sox who are 7-5 when allowing at least one homer.
