Taijuan Walker (8-7, 4.60 ERA) and John Danks (6-10, 4.61 ERA) start in the last of a three-game series between the Seattle Mariners (56-67) and the Chicago White Sox (58-63) at Safeco Field. The White Sox won the last game 6-3 and Chicago leads the series 2-0. Action begins at 4:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 23 and can be seen on CSCh and RTNW.
Walker pitched 6.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering three runs, striking out three and walking one in a 4-3 defeat to the Rangers. Nelson Cruz (.321, 70 Rs, 37 HRs, 76 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run. Danks went 7.0 innings, surrendering four runs (one unearned), striking out three and walking one in a 5-3 defeat to the Angels in his last outing. Jose Abreu (.292, 70 Rs, 22 HRs, 74 RBIs) went 1 for 5 yesterday.
Seattle is a -154 favorite against Chicago and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at eight runs. The Mariners have an overall money line of -1,739 and a record as the favorite of 32-39. Seattle’s pitching staff has been doing poorly against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, allowing an average of 7.7 runs per game, well above its season average of 4.5.
In games where it is the underdog, Chicago has a 29-39 record and an overall money line of -700. The White Sox have a dynamic offense, ranking third in the league with 319 extra base hits. The White Sox allow 4.3 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 2.9 runs per game during that span. When it comes to issuing walks on the road, the White Sox have the fewest in the AL with only 2.4 walks allowed per game. The White Sox have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an AL-best 8.4 strikeouts per game, making them one of the top five teams in the league.
The White Sox have the edge in the season series, 2-0. The Mariners have a 14-21 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Danks takes the mound. Walker (RHP) will be on the hill against the White Sox, who have a 47-49 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Sea, O/U – Over
Notes
The Mariners managed to give up six walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the White Sox who are coming in with a 6-0 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
It looks like the White Sox have a slight leg up on the Mariners, as the White Sox have won their last three games while the Mariners have lost their last three.
When they outhit their opponents, the Mariners are 35-18. The White Sox have a 45-12 record when outhitting opponents.
Seattle and Chicago both rank near the bottom of the league in runs. Seattle sits at 25th with 466 runs this season and Chicago ranks 27th with 462.
Ranking 28th, Chicago is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 285 this season. Seattle ranks in the top half at 13th with 350.
The Mariners are 47-37 when they hit at least one home run. The White Sox perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 36-32 record.
