Carlos Rodon (5-5, 4.22 ERA) and Roenis Elias (4-6, 4.22 ERA) take the hill in the first of a four-game series between the Chicago White Sox (59-66) and the Seattle Mariners (59-68) at U.S. Cellular Field. Action begins at 8:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 27 and can be seen on CSCh and RTNW.
Rodon pitched 7.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering one, striking out eight and walking four in a 6-3 defeat to the Mariners. Jose Abreu (.294, 74 Rs, 24 HRs, 77 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday. Elias went 1.0 innings, surrendering zero runs and walking one in an 11-5 defeat to the Athletics in his most recent start. Nelson Cruz (.321, 76 Rs, 39 HRs, 82 RBIs, 3 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Mariners, going 3 for 4 yesterday with two runs, one home run, and three RBIs.
Chicago is a -145 favorite against Seattle and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at eight runs. The White Sox have an overall money line of -728 and a record as the favorite of 29-25. The White Sox are one of the best in the MLB in terms of extra base hits with 331. Crossing over to the pitching staff, opponents have consistently been struck out by the White Sox, who rank second in the AL in strikeouts per game with 8.4.
In games where it is the underdog, Seattle has a 24-27 record and an overall money line of -1,801. Offensively, the Mariners have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 3.9 runs per game by averaging 5.4 during that stretch. The Mariners allow 4.6 runs per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 8.2 runs per game during that span.
The White Sox lead the season series, 2-1. The White Sox have a 12-14 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Elias takes the mound. Rodon (LHP) will be on the hill against the Mariners, who have a 15-23 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – CWS, O/U – Over
Notes
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 Mariners have a 9-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they are outhit, the White Sox are 10-49. The Mariners have a 16-44 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 23rd in home runs, Chicago has hit 104 this season. Seattle ranks sixth with 150 home runs.
Ranking 12th, Seattle is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.35 per game. Chicago ranks in the top 10 at ninth with 8.61.
Ranking 27th, Chicago is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.688). Seattle ranks in the bottom half at 19th with an OPS of .713.
The Mariners are 30-56 when they allow at least one home run. The White Sox perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with a 27-49 record.
