Chris Sale (10-7, 3.47 ERA), attemping to pick up his 200th strikeout of the season, takes the hill for the Chicago White Sox (54-60) as they square off against Dan Haren (8-7, 3.55 ERA) and the Chicago Cubs (67-48) in the last of a three-game series at U.S. Cellular Field. The Cubs won the last game 6-3, continuing a nine-game winning streak. Action begins at 2:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 16 and can be seen on WGN and CSCh.
Sale pitched 7.1 innings in his most recent start, surrendering two runs, striking out seven and walking two in an 8-2 win over the Angels. Jose Abreu (.292, 69 Rs, 21 HRs, 68 RBIs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 3 with one RBI. Haren went 5.1 innings, surrendering three runs, striking out six and walking one in a 6-3 win over the Brewers in his last outing. Anthony Rizzo (.298, 66 Rs, 23 HRs, 68 RBIs, 15 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Cubs, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run and one RBI.
Chicago is a -140 favorite against Chicago and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The White Sox have an overall money line of -617 and a record as the favorite of 27-24. In interleague play, they have a solid 5-2 record as the favorite but an 8-10 SU. The White Sox are one of the best in the MLB in terms of extra base hits with 299. As for the pitchers, opponents have consistently been struck out by the White Sox, who rank second in the AL in strikeouts per game with 8.3.
In games where it is the underdog, Chicago has a 20-20 record and an overall money line of +899. Chicago is 3-3 as the underdog and 7-7 SU against interleague opponents. Offensively, the Cubs have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 4.0 runs per game by averaging 5.6 during that stretch. The Cubs are an excellent base stealing team with 78 stolen bases, ranking fourth in the MLB. Chicago’s pitching staff is one of the top in the NL, with a 3.39 ERA. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Cubs are one of the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.18 for the season. The Cubs have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an NL-best 8.7 strikeouts per game.
The Cubs lead the season series, 3-2. The White Sox have a 44-46 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Haren takes the mound. Sale (LHP) will be on the hill against the Cubs, who have a 14-9 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – ChC, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, the Cubs are 26-19, while the White Sox are 23-23.
The Chicago batters brought in a solid 12 hits last game. Chicago has a record of 5-24 when their opponents get that many hits or more.
When they are outhit, the White Sox are 10-45. The Cubs have a 15-35 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 23rd, the White Sox are near the bottom of the league when it comes to home runs, hitting 96 this season. The Cubs rank in the top half at 13th with 110.
Ranking 14th, the Cubs are in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.11 per game. The White Sox rank in the top 10 at ninth with 8.55.
Ranking 25th, the White Sox are near the bottom of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage (.685). The Cubs rank in the bottom half at 20th with an OPS of .703.
When the Cubs allow at least one home run, they are 32-31. When the White Sox allow one or more homers, they have a 25-43 record.
