Kyle Gibson (1-2, 4.84 ERA) and John Danks (1-2, 5.64 ERA) are on the hill in the second of a four-game series between the Minnesota Twins (10-12) and the Chicago White Sox (8-11) at Target Field. The Twins won the last game 12-2 and Minnesota leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 8:10 p.m. ET on Friday, May. 1 and can be seen on CSN-CHI and FSN-N.
Gibson pitched 7.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering two runs, striking out three and walking three in a 4-2 defeat to the Mariners. Joe Mauer (.318, 7 Rs, 13 RBIs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 3 for 5 with one run and two RBIs. Against the Twins, Danks is 7-13 with a 5.59 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, and 101 strikeouts. Avisail Garcia (.309, 11 Rs, 1 HR, 4 RBIs, 1 SB) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 3 yesterday.
Chicago is a slim -108 favorite over Minnesota. According to the oddsmakers, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently eight runs. The Twins have an overall money line of -67 and a record as the underdog of 9-10. Minnesota has had a discouraging season against division opponents, earning records of 7-9 and 7-11 as the underdog and SU respectively. The Twins are one of the best in the AL in terms of hits at home with an impressive 9.0 per game. As for the pitchers, the Twins are the third-best team in the AL at limiting walks during home games, allowing only 2.7 walks per game to their opponents this season.
As for their opponent, in contrast to a worrisome overall money line (-233), Chicago has an impressive 4-2 record when playing as the favorite. They are 4-2 as the favorite against teams in their division, and 8-9 SU. When it comes to issuing walks, the White Sox have the second-fewest in the AL with an average of just 2.6 walks allowed per game.
The Twins have a 4-5 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Danks takes the mound. Gibson (RHP) will be on the hill against the White Sox, who have a 6-7 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – CWS, O/U – Under
Notes
The Twins won their last game by a 10-run margin. In games decided by a margin of 10 runs or more, the White Sox are 0-1. The Twins are 1-1 in blowouts this season.
Minnesota has won 17% (1-5) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Chicago has won 40% (2-3) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Twins are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The White Sox have a 3-5 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the White Sox are 1-10. The Twins have a 2-11 record when opponents outhit them.
Both Minnesota and Chicago are tied at 29th in home runs, hitting 12 this season.
Ranking 11th, Chicago is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 7.94 per game. Minnesota ranks in the top 10 at ninth with 8.05.
Both Minnesota and Chicago are tied at 25th for their on-base plus slugging percentage of .643.
The White Sox are 3-9 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Twins are 5-10 when they allow at least one homer.
