Jeff Samardzija (8-10, 4.75 ERA) and Hisashi Iwakuma (5-3, 4.29 ERA) take the hill in the third of a four-game series between the Chicago White Sox (60-67) and the Seattle Mariners (60-69) at U.S. Cellular Field. The Mariners won the last game 2-0 and the series is currently tied 1-1. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 29 and can be seen on CSCh and RTNW.
Samardzija pitched 5.2 innings in his most recent start, surrendering five runs, striking out seven and walking two in a 5-4 defeat to the Red Sox. Iwakuma went 4.2 innings, surrendering seven runs, striking out four and walking one in an 11-5 defeat to the Athletics in his last outing.
Chicago is a slim -115 favorite at home against Seattle. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at seven runs for this matchup. The White Sox have an overall money line of -838 and a record as the favorite of 30-26. The White Sox are one of the best in the MLB in terms of extra base hits with 335. As for the pitchers, opponents have consistently been struck out by the White Sox, who rank third in the AL in strikeouts per game with 8.4.
In games where it is the underdog, Seattle has a 24-28 record and an overall money line of -1,801. They have been on a bit of a dry streak over their last 10 games. They managed a 0-3 record when playing as the underdog. The Mariners can change the game with one swing of the bat, ranking fifth in the league with 153 home runs. The Mariners allow 4.6 runs per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 5.8 runs per game during that span.
The White Sox lead the season series, 3-2. The White Sox have a 47-52 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Iwakuma takes the mound. Samardzija (RHP) will be on the hill against the Mariners, who have a 44-45 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Sea, O/U – Over
Notes
Seattle has won 40% (19-29) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Chicago has won 51% (26-25) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Mariners are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The White Sox have a 13-30 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Mariners are 38-18. The White Sox have a 47-12 record when outhitting opponents.
Chicago and Seattle both rank near the bottom of the league in runs. Chicago sits at 27th with 481 runs this season and Seattle ranks 24th with 497.
Ranking 30th, Chicago is at the bottom of the league in walks, notching 289 this season. Seattle ranks in the top half at 13th with 369.
When the White Sox hit at least one home run, they are 36-34, well-matched with the Mariners who are 51-39 when hitting one or more homers.
