In the second of a three-game series between the Kansas City Royals (82-52) and the Chicago White Sox (63-70) at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium, Danny Duffy (7-6, 4.11 ERA) and Jose Quintana (7-10, 3.75 ERA) take the mound. The White Sox won the last game 12-1 and Chicago leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sep. 5 and will air on WGN and FSKC.
In his most recent outing, Duffy pitched 5.0 innings, giving up two runs, striking out six and walking two in a 3-2 loss to the Rays. Ben Zobrist (.292, 64 Rs, 11 HRs, 50 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday. The White Sox were unsuccessful to the Mariners 6-5 the last time Quintana pitched. He went 4.1 innings, allowing four runs, striking out eight and walking three. Jose Abreu (.293, 79 Rs, 25 HRs, 81 RBIs) has been hitting the ball well for the White Sox, going 2 for 5 yesterday with two runs, one home run, and one RBI.
Kansas City is a -157 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at eight runs. The Royals have a winning record of 49-25 when playing as the favorite and an overall money line of +2,694. They are 6-2 as the favorite over their last 10 games. The Royals have one of the most prolific home offenses in the entire AL, averaging 4.9 runs per game. The Royals are a superb hitting team with 9.3 hits per game, one of the highest marks in the AL. The Royals are a nightmare for opponents on the bases with 88 steals, one of the highest totals in baseball. Kansas City’s pitching staff can be considered one of the best in the AL. The Royals have a team ERA of 3.57, one of the lowest in their league. The Royals don’t give up many walks to opposing batters at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium, ranking fifth in the AL with only 2.5 walks allowed per home game.
On the other side, the White Sox have a record of 31-43 when they are the underdog and are -1,078 overall with the money line. Over the past 10 matchups, they are 4-6 SU and have played poorly as the underdog with a 1-3 record. The White Sox are known for their bats, hitting 351 extra base hits. Shifting to the pitching staff, they allow just 2.5 walks per road game, second-best in the AL.
The Royals have gotten the best of the White Sox in head-to-head matchups this season, going 10-4. The Royals will take on a left-hander (Quintana) in this game and have a 26-21 record against left-handed starting pitchers this season. The left-handed Duffy will take the mound against the White Sox, who have a 14-15 record against lefty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC, O/U – Over
Notes
In their last game, the White Sox won by a margin of 11 runs. The Royals are 2-4 in games decided by a margin of 10 runs or more. The White Sox have a 1-5 record in blowouts.
Having scored one run in their last game, the Royals are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The White Sox have a 19-2 record in games where opponents scored that many runs or fewer.
When they are outhit, the White Sox are 10-53. The Royals have a 12-43 record when opponents outhit them.
Tied at 26th for total home runs, Kansas City and Chicago have each hit 109 homers this season.
Ranking ninth, Chicago is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 8.60 per game. Kansas City ranks in the top five at second with 9.32.
Ranking 28th, Chicago is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.690). Kansas City ranks in the top 10 at seventh with an OPS of .739.
When the White Sox allow at least one home run, they are 30-53. When the Royals allow one or more homers, they have a 38-37 record.
