Carlos Rodon (4-8, 4.02 ERA) and Taijuan Walker (4-8, 4.14 ERA) take the hill in the last of a four-game series between the Chicago White Sox (62-66) and the Seattle Mariners (68-61) at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox won the last game 9-3, and Chicago leads the series 2-1. Action begins at 2:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 28 and can be seen on WGN and RTNW.
Rodon pitched 6.2 innings in his last outing, surrendering zero runs, striking out four and walking one in a 9-1 win over the Phillies. Todd Frazier (.217, 68 Rs, 32 HRs, 81 RBIs, 10 SBs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run. Walker went 5.2 innings, surrendering four runs (one unearned), striking out five and walking three in a 5-1 defeat to the Yankees in his most recent start. Nelson Cruz (.285, 76 Rs, 32 HRs, 79 RBIs) has been successful at the plate for the Mariners, going 2 for 4 yesterday.
Chicago is a -118 favorite against Seattle and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at eight runs. The White Sox have an overall money line of -356 and a record as the favorite of 34-26. The White Sox have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 5.3 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 4.1 runs per game.
In games where it is the underdog, Seattle has a 30-29 record and an overall money line of +35. The Mariners can change the game with one swing of the bat, ranking fourth in the league with 177 home runs. Seattle is excellent at drawing walks with 3.1 per game, ranking fifth in the AL. Moving on to Seattle’s pitching staff and defense, the Mariners allow just 4.3 runs per game, ranking them fifth in the AL.
The White Sox have a 47-55 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Walker takes the mound. Rodon (LHP) will be on the hill against the Mariners, who have a 20-27 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – SEA, O/U – Over
Notes
The Chicago batters brought in a solid 15 hits last game. Seattle has a record of 2-3 when their opponents get that many hits or more.
When they are outhit, the White Sox are 9-49. The Mariners have a 15-43 record when opponents outhit them.
Chicago ranks near the bottom of the league when it comes to home runs, hitting 130 this season. Seattle ranks in the top five at fourth with 177.
Chicago and Seattle both rank in the top 10 of the league in hits. Chicago sits at 10th with 8.60 hits per game and Seattle ranks ninth with 8.82.
Ranking 25th, Chicago is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.720). Seattle ranks in the top 10 with an OPS of .756.
When the Mariners allow at least one home run, they are 45-50, well-matched with the White Sox who are 37-45 when allowing at least one homer.
