Jose Quintana (8-10, 3.60 ERA) and the Chicago White Sox (66-73) meet Tommy Milone (8-4, 3.54 ERA) and the Minnesota Twins (73-67) in the second of a three-game division series at U.S. Cellular Field. The Twins won the last game 6-2 and Minnesota leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sep. 12 and will air on WGN and FSN.
In his most recent outing, Quintana pitched 7.0 innings, giving up zero runs and striking out five in a 6-1 victory over the Royals. Jose Abreu (.295, 84 Rs, 27 HRs, 86 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday. The Twins were victorious over the Royals 6-2 the last time Milone pitched. He went 7.0 innings, allowing two runs, striking out four and walking one. Trevor Plouffe (.245, 65 Rs, 20 HRs, 76 RBIs, 2 SBs) has been hitting the ball well, going 3 for 5 yesterday with two runs, two home runs, and three RBIs.
Chicago, a -133 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Minnesota. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at eight runs. The White Sox are 31-29 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -775. They are 1-3 as the favorite over their last 10 games. The most recent 10-game stretch for the White Sox has gone great. Over that span, Chicago is averaging 5.6 runs per game, well over their season average of 3.9. The White Sox are a dangerous hitting team with 368 extra base hits, one of the highest totals in the MLB. Turning to the pitching staff, an area where the White Sox are particularly strong is striking batters out, where they average 8.4 K’s per game.
Switching gears, the Twins come into this game with a win percentage of .500 when playing as the underdog (56-56) and an overall money line of +2,135. Against divisional rivals, they are 30-27 SU and 22-23 as the underdog. They also allow just 2.5 walks per game, good for second in the AL.
The Twins have gotten the best of the White Sox in head-to-head matchups this season, going 12-5. This game will feature Milone (LHP) on the mound against the White Sox, who have a 15-15 record when they take on a left-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Twins will be the left-hander Quintana. They sport a 25-22 record against southpaws.
Predictions: SU Winner – CWS, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Chicago is 31-27, while Minnesota is 25-24.
The Twins are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The White Sox have a 32-53 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the White Sox are 10-56. The Twins have a 15-57 record when opponents outhit them.
Chicago ranks near the bottom of the league at 24th when it comes to home runs, hitting 118 this season. Minnesota ranks in the bottom half at 17th with 136.
Ranking 13th, Minnesota is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.32 per game. Chicago ranks in the top 10 at seventh with 8.67.
Chicago and Minnesota both rank near the bottom of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. Chicago sits at 27th with an OPS of .692 and Minnesota ranks 23rd with an OPS of .706.
The Twins are 40-52 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The White Sox are 32-56 when they allow at least one homer.
