With the adrenaline still flowing from last night’s extra-inning comeback win (sure, it was only possible because of some odd managerial decisions and a completely brain-dead defensive play by the Yankees — their catcher tried to pick Munetaka Murakami off third with two outs in the 11th and threw the ball away), the White Sox will try to even the series this afternoon behind what appears on paper to be their best pitching matchup.
That’s because the Sox will start Sean Burke, who has been solid all
season and absolutely outstanding in July, allowing just four earned runs in 25 2/3 innings while striking out 35. He faced the Yankees in New York in June and overwhelmed them — 7 1/3 innings, five hits, one run, no walks, eight strikeouts.
Meanwhile, the Yankees are at the back end of their rotation with lefty Ryan Weathers, who has a 4.25 ERA, including 19 2/3 innings in July in which he gave up 11 runs, though K’ing 24. That would make for a very nice matchup were it not for the fact that the Sox have struggled against mediocre lefties lately, including against Weathers, who held them to one run in 6 1/3 innings in June.
Weathers will face a White Sox lineup with only Murakami and Colson Montgomery batting from the left side, and Colson has big reverse splits. That puts Everson Pereira, who has three strikeouts in three trips to the plate since coming off the IL, in center.
Burke will face basically the same Yankees as last night, but with Austin Wells behind the plate instead of Ali Sanchez, who made the brain-dead throw yesterday.
First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. Central on a beautiful day for baseball — mostly sunny, low 80s, very light wind toward left. Usual broadcast suspects.
