In the second of a three-game series between the Chicago White Sox (6-9) and the Kansas City Royals (6-9) at U.S. Cellular Field, Jose Quintana (1-1, 8.40 ERA) and Danny Duffy (1-0, 5.51 ERA) take the mound. The Royals won the last game 3-2 and Kansas City leads the series 1-0. The game starts at 2:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, Apr. 26 and will air on FSN-KC and CSN-CHI.
Quintana has a 4.66 ERA and a 0-6 record in his career against the Royals, and is up against a solid Kansas City offense that’s hitting .301 on the year. Jose Abreu (.305, 7 Rs, 5 HRs, 13 RBIs) played well again Thursday, going 2 for 4 with one RBI. In his pitching opportunities against the White Sox, Duffy is 2-1 with a 4.57 ERA, 21 strikeouts and five walks. Lorenzo Cain (.375, 13 Rs, 2 HRs, 12 RBIs, 5 SBs) went 1 for 3 Thursday with one run.
Chicago is a +115 underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is eight runs. The White Sox perform poorly as an underdog with a 3-7 record and have an overall money line of -333. They have not performed well against their division, earning an SU record of 6-9 and a 3-7 record when they were the underdog.
Moving on to the opposing team, the Royals come into this game with a solid win percentage of .600 when playing as the favorite (6-4) and an overall money line of +785. Against divisional opponents, they are 7-3 SU and have played well as the favorite with a 6-3 record. Kansas City is the top hitting team in the league, converting .301 of their at-bats for hits. Kansas City is a terror on the base paths, ranking fifth in the MLB with 15 stolen bases. Switching gears to Kansas City’s pitching staff, they have the fourth-lowest road ERA in the AL at 3.18. They have a WHIP of 1.05, second best in the MLB. They also have some of the most overpowering arms in the AL with an average of 7.3 strikeouts per road game.
So far this season, the Royals are 4-0 against the White Sox. Taking the hill against the Royals will be the right-hander Quintana. They sport a 5-3 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC, O/U – Over
Notes
The Royals won their last game by a one-run margin. In games decided by one run, the White Sox are 2-2. The Royals are 2-0 in close games this season.
When the Royals play into extra innings, they have a 1-0 record. The White Sox are 0-1 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Royals managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the White Sox who are heading in with a 2-3 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the White Sox are 6-1. The Royals have an 11-1 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 27th in runs, Chicago has earned 52 this season. Kansas City ranks fifth with 84 runs.
Chicago and Kansas City both rank near the bottom of the league in walks. Chicago sits at 28th with 33 this season and Kansas City ranks 23rd with 42.
The White Sox are 5-4 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Royals are 8-1 when they hit at least one homer.
