John Danks (3-8, 5.38 ERA) and the Chicago White Sox (34-42) go up against Ubaldo Jimenez (7-3, 3.09 ERA) and the Baltimore Orioles (42-37) in the first of a three-game series at U.S. Cellular Field. The game starts at 8:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Jul. 3 and will air on MASN2 and CSN-CHI.
Danks is 5-5 with a 4.28 ERA against the Orioles in his career, and faces a strong Baltimore offense that’s hitting .259 on the year. Avisail Garcia (.273, 30 Rs, 7 HRs, 29 RBIs, 4 SBs) continued his strong season Wednesday, going 2 for 4 with one stolen base. In his career against the White Sox, Jimenez is 3-3 with a 4.48 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, and 57 strikeouts. Manny Machado (.302, 51 Rs, 16 HRs, 44 RBIs, 11 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
Chicago, a +127 underdog, will look to capitalize at home against Baltimore. Oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at eight runs. The White Sox have a losing record of 14-27 when playing as the underdog and an overall money line of -1,043. An area where the White Sox are particularly strong is striking batters out, where they average 8.3 K’s per game.
On the other side, the Orioles have a nice record of 26-16 when they are favored and are +525 overall with the money line. They sport the third-ranked offense in the AL, averaging 4.6 runs per game. Baltimore is one of the top home-run-hitting teams in the league with 97 home runs. Switching gears to Baltimore’s pitching staff, they allow just 8.1 hits per road game, good for fifth in the AL.
The Orioles are 2-1 against the White Sox this season. The White Sox will take on a right-hander (Jimenez) in this game and have a 29-32 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The left-handed Danks will take the mound against the Orioles, who have a 10-7 record against lefty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – BAL, O/U – Over
Notes
Chicago has won 50% (14-14) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Baltimore has won 61% (19-12) of its games when taking a late lead.
The White Sox are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Orioles have an 11-15 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Orioles are 5-25. The White Sox have a 7-33 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 27th in home runs, Chicago has hit 57 this season. Baltimore ranks fifth with 97 home runs.
Ranking 11th, Chicago is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.21 per game. Baltimore ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 8.73.
Ranking 30th, Chicago is at the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.653). Baltimore ranks in the top 10 at sixth with an OPS of .741.
When the Orioles allow at least one home run, they are 23-25. When the White Sox allow one or more homers, they have an 18-29 record.
