John Danks (3-6, 5.29 ERA) and the Chicago White Sox (28-35) meet Jeff Locke (3-3, 4.90 ERA) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (37-27) in the first of a two-game interleague series at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox go into this series on a five-game losing streak. The game starts at 8:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Jun. 17 and will air on ROOT-PIT and CSN-CHI+.
In his most recent outing, Danks pitched 5.1 innings, giving up four runs (one unearned), striking out three and walking one in a 7-5 loss to the Rays. Jose Abreu (.283, 33 Rs, 12 HRs, 40 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday. The Pirates were unsuccessful the last time Locke pitched. He had a good outing, pitching, going 6.0 innings, allowing zero runs, striking out two and walking one in a 1-0 loss to the Phillies. Starling Marte (.286, 36 Rs, 12 HRs, 45 RBIs, 13 SBs) has been hitting the ball well for the Pirates, going 2 for 5 yesterday with one run and two stolen bases.
Chicago is a +112 underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is eight runs. The White Sox have a losing record of 12-21 when playing as the underdog and an overall money line of -819. They are 1-4 as the underdog over their last 10 games. Chicago has averaged 4.4 runs per game during interleague play, higher than its season average of 3.6. Whenever an National League opponent shows up on the calendar, the White Sox seem to struggle with pitching. They allow an average of 4.6 runs per game, but allow 5.7 against teams from the NL. An area where the White Sox are particularly strong is striking batters out, where they average 8.2 K’s per game.
Switching to the opposing bench, the Pirates come into this game with a solid win percentage of .667 when playing as the favorite (30-15) and an overall money line of +432. They have played at the top of their game when rated as favorite recently. They managed a 7-2 record when playing as the favorite and an SU record of 7-3. One of the top hitting teams in the NL are the Pirates, who average 8.9 hits per game. Pittsburgh is a terror on the base paths, ranking fourth in the MLB with 51 stolen bases. The Pirates are a problem for opposing batters, sporting a 2.80 ERA this season. They have a WHIP of 1.19, third best in the MLB. They also have some of the most overpowering arms in the NL with an average of 8.2 strikeouts per road game.
The previous two games have all gone Pittsburgh’s way. The White Sox will take on a left-hander (Locke) in this game and have a 5-7 record against left-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Pirates will be the left-hander Danks. They sport a 6-4 record against southpaws.
Predictions: SU Winner – PIT, O/U – Over
Notes
Pittsburgh has won 42% (10-14) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Chicago has won 50% (12-12) of its games when taking a late lead.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the White Sox are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Pirates have an 8-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
This game has the potential to be a major blowout, as the Pirates are coming in on a six-game winning streak whereas the White Sox have lost their past five.
When they outhit their opponents, the White Sox are 20-4. The Pirates have a 27-5 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 29th in runs, Chicago has earned 221 this season. Pittsburgh ranks 16th with 264 runs.
Chicago and Pittsburgh both rank near the bottom of the league in walks. Chicago sits at 28th with 144 this season and Pittsburgh ranks 22nd with 163.
When the White Sox hit at least one home run, they are 16-15. When the Pirates hit at least one homer, they have a 22-14 record.
