After a much-needed series win at home against the Minnesota Twins, the White Sox face the Pittsburgh Pirates for the only time this season, a three-game set before the Good Guys head down to St. Louis over the weekend. The White Sox flexed Sunday into a bullpen game, because of course, and shifted righthander Sean Burke’s start back a day, making his 29th appearance of the season tonight — his 25th start.
Despite walking four batters in his previous start on September 1, Burke only allowed one hit
in his 5 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out six in the process. In his career-high 154 2/3 frames this season, the righty ace has held steady at a 3.20 ERA and 1.144 WHIP, and has struck out 167 batters so far, at a 26.2% strikeout rate. With the South Siders’ starting rotation fluctuating through the year, Burke has been a constant in his outings, with six runs being the most surrendered in a start this year, at home against Seattle in May.
Thankfully the White Sox offense heated up quite a bit in their last game, demolishing the Twins, 10-1, with 12 hits, seven of which were mashed for extra bases (five doubles, two home runs). Tonight’s lineup is identical to the Sunday Night Baseball game, rolling with the lefty-heavy batting order against Pirates righthander Bubba Chandler. In his last game, Sam Antonacci plated three doubles against the Twins, certainly earning his spot in the leadoff position. I’ve been a fan of Miguel Vargas shifting into the 2-hole, considering he is the best and most consistent hitter on the team.
Over the last 15 days, three Sox players rank in the Top 20 in baseball in on-base percentage: Tristan Peters (eighth), Antonacci (19) and Miguel Vargas (20). Peters has been on fire, and the rookie also is tied for seventh for slugging percentage (.744) over the same time frame, and is batting seventh tonight. If you were to ask me (you weren’t), I’d be shifting Peters up in the lineup, as he has solidified himself as one of the best hitters on the team and one of the stronger players in all of baseball. But it does say a lot that there’s not many ways you can go wrong with this lineup, especially when they are on their A-game.
Chicago White Sox Lineup
For the Pirates, Chandler has been fairly solid, posting a 4.30 ERA in 27 outings this season with a 1.368 WHIP. Chandler’s 4.12 expected ERA (xERA) is slightly lower, along with a 4.16 FIP, indicating that he might have had some bad luck here and there. But he still has accumulated 1.9 WAR. One of the righty’s strengths is that he tends to miss barrels, holding a 5.6% barrel rate, ranking in the 82 percentile in MLB. Chandler’s fastball is his go-to, which makes sense as he throws straight heat, averaging 98.3 mph, using about 48% of the time, and closer to 50% when facing left-handed hitters. Chandler’s off-speed pitches tend to be his most effective, however, as his changeup, sinker, and sweeper all have amassed a .200 or worse opponent batting average.
Because this is the first time these two teams will match up, and most batters haven’t seen these pitchers before, the White Sox will definitely have to be prepared for some strong bats in the Pittsburgh lineup. Brandon Lowe is batting second behind rookie Konnor Griffin, who ranks 24th in the National League with an .803 OPS, though he is just one of five hitters with an .800 or near-.800 OPS, as Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz, Esmerlyn Valdez, and Rafael Flores Jr. are all right there with him. As a team, the Pirates rank seventh in baseball with a .731 team OPS and fifth in batting average. Ideally, Burke is able to keep their power under control and miss those Pittsburgh bats.
Pittsburgh Pirates Lineup
Be sure to tune in to the action tonight, either on TV at CHSN, or on the radio at ESPN Chicago AM 1000. There should be some beautiful weather on the South Side, with temperatures hanging in the low-80s to upper-70s and partly cloudy skies. Time to snag a W and start up a new win streak.
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