David Price (1-0, 0.00 ERA) and the Detroit Tigers (8-1) meet Jeff Samardzija (0-1, 6.23 ERA) and the Chicago White Sox (3-5) in the first of a three-game division series at Comerica Park. The game gets underway at 1:08 p.m. ET on Friday, Apr. 17 and will air on CSN-CHI, FSN-DET and MLB Net.
Price is 4-5 with a 3.62 ERA, 57 strikeouts and 17 walks against the White Sox in his career. The White Sox were unsuccessful the last time Samardzija pitched. He struggled, going, going 7.0 innings, giving up four runs and striking out six in a 5-4 loss to the Twins. Avisail Garcia (.348 ) went 1 for 4 Wednesday with one run and one RBI.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Tigers come into the game with the AL’s top ranked home scoring offense, averaging 7.3 runs per game in their own ballpark. The Tigers are a stellar hitting team with an AL-best 11.7 hits per home game. The Tigers are a nightmare for opponents on the bases with an MLB-high 13 steals. Detroit’s pitching staff can be considered for best in its league, with an AL-low 1.91 team ERA. The Tigers don’t allow many hitters to get on base, ranking second in the league with a 0.86 WHIP.
Against teams in their division, the White Sox are 3-5 SU. Opposing pitchers have routinely struggled to strike out the Chicago batters, who rank fifth in the AL with 7.2 strikeouts per game.
The Tigers will take on a right-hander (Samardzija) in this game and have a 6-1 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – DET
Notes
Detroit earned its fourth shutout of the season in its last game. Chicago has been shut out one time this season.
The Tigers are coming into this game after allowing zero walks during their last outing. The White Sox have a 1-1 record when opponents give up that many walks.
When outhit, both the Tigers and the White Sox have records of 0-1.
Ranking 19th in home runs, Chicago has hit seven this season. Detroit ranks seventh with 10 home runs.
Ranking 10th, Chicago is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 7.38 per game. Detroit ranks in the top five at second with 11.00.
Ranking 20th, Chicago is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.641). Detroit ranks in the top five at second with an OPS of .867.
The White Sox are 0-4 when they allow at least one home run. The Tigers perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with a 0-1 record.
