The White Sox are back at it after a week that went their way, snagging four wins in six tries. Now comes the real test — a three-game set with the Orioles, then straight into Cleveland for four. The catch? The Sox are allergic to road games. Their .375 road winning percentage is dead last among playoff hopefuls, and the bats shrivel up away from Rate Field (.231 on the road, .252 at home). The pitching? A sparkling 3.25 ERA at home turns into a horror show (5.39) on the road. Sure, everyone plays
better on their home turf, but if the Sox want to hang around in the AL Central, they have to stop treating every road series like a vacation and start winning more than just one out of three.
Sean Burke gets the nod, rolling in at 5-4 with a 3.71 ERA and a tidy 1.21 WHIP. He’s been nails lately, allowing only two runs over his last 13 2/3, 14 punchouts, and just one walk each time out. The numbers say this isn’t a fluke as Burke’s got a legit breaking ball that’s been a weapon, and his fastball plays up thanks to some sneaky extension. The Orioles can mash, so Burke’s night comes down to fastball command, spinning that breaker in two-strike counts, and not leaving anything up for Baltimore’s big bats to launch. He doesn’t get many grounders, so if Chicago wants to start this series with a win, Burke has to keep the ball in the yard.
Baltimore throws Shane Baz at the Sox, and he’s been a mixed bag, going 4-8 with a 4.31 ERA and 1.38 WHIP. The righthander is coming off a clunker against the Angels (five runs, eight hits in five innings). The stuff is there as he can touch 96 mph, but the results are not. His breaking ball and offspeed pitches have been more rumor than weapon, and his whiff rates are nothing special. The South Siders’ game plan should be to make Baz work, put the ball in play, and not go fishing for his fastball. Get him behind in counts, wait for a mistake, and there’s offense to be had.
As far as the bats go, Miguel Vargas has been on a heater, slashing 435/.519/.913 over the last seven days with a 1.432 OPS, and home run number 19 in the books. If the Good Guys want to flip the script on the road and survive this gauntlet, Vargas has to keep the fire burning. Here’s how skipper Will Venable will send them out against Baz.
And the lineup for the O’s.
First pitch is 5:35 p.m. CST. Watch on CHSN or catch the call on ESPN Chicago AM 1000.
