Mike Pelfrey (2-0, 2.25 ERA) gets the ball for the Minnesota Twins (12-12) as they go up against John Danks (1-2, 5.64 ERA) and the Chicago White Sox (8-13) in the last of a four-game series at Target Field. The Twins won the last game 5-3 and Minnesota can finish out the series sweep with a win in this game. The game starts at 2:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, May. 3 and will air on CSN-CHI and FSN-N.
Pelfrey is 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA, 20 strikeouts and 10 walks against the White Sox in his career. Trevor Plouffe (.259, 10 Rs, 4 HRs, 10 RBIs) played well again yesterday, going 2 for 3 with one run, one home run, and two RBIs. In his career against the Twins, Danks is 7-13 with a 5.59 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, and 101 strikeouts. Avisail Garcia (.320, 11 Rs, 1 HR, 5 RBIs, 1 SB) has been doing well, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one RBI.
Minnesota, a -124 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Chicago. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is nine runs. The Twins are in an interesting position this season. While it has a notable overall money line (+272), its record as favorite (1-2) is less impressive. They have a 10-11 record SU and are 1-2 as favorite within their division. The Twins rank fourth in the AL in hits at home with 9.2 per game. Minnesota’s pitching staff has put it all together in the past 10 games. Its average runs allowed per game dropped to 3.1 during that span, compared to its 4.3 season average. The Twins are fourth in the AL in walks allowed with just 2.6 per game.
Moving on to the away team, the White Sox come into this game with a weak win percentage of .308 when playing as the underdog (4-9) and an overall money line of -592. Against teams in their division, they are 8-12 SU and have played poorly as the underdog with a 4-8 record. The White Sox average just 7.3 strikeouts per road game, one of the lowest marks in the AL. Shifting to the pitching staff, they allow just 2.6 walks per game, good for third in the AL.
The Twins have mostly come out on top against the White Sox in their previous six games this season, earning a 4-2 record. The Twins will take on a left-hander (Danks) in this game and have a 6-5 record against left-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Pelfrey will take the mound against the White Sox, who have a 6-10 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – MIN, O/U – Under
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Chicago is 2-3, while Minnesota is 1-5.
The Twins are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The White Sox have a 5-10 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
It looks like the Twins have a slight leg up on the White Sox, as the Twins have won their last three games while the White Sox have lost their last four.
When they outhit their opponents, the White Sox are 6-1. The Twins have a 10-0 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 29th in runs, Chicago has earned 67 this season. Minnesota ranks 17th with 92 runs.
Ranking 30th, Chicago is at the bottom of the league in walks, notching 45 this season. Minnesota ranks in the bottom half at 20th with 64.
When the Twins hit at least one home run, they are 8-3. When the White Sox hit at least one homer, they have a 5-4 record.
