The White Sox scored 14 runs Tuesday night, so hopefully there’s still a little gas left in the tank. A little less drama on the pitching side would be nice, too. Trevor Richards and Luis Castillo combined to give up seven runs over two innings in the 14-11 victory. Yikes.
That win, paired with a Texas Rangers loss, put the Sox one step from October. If Chicago wins tonight and Texas loses again, the South Siders will clinch a playoff berth. Cleveland’s win over Boston kept the Sox one game back in the AL
Central, so there’s still plenty at stake beyond punching their ticket.
Bryan Hudson will open for Chicago before handing the ball to Erick Fedde for the bulk of the innings. This will be the southpaw’s ninth appearance as an opener, a role he’s handled well all season. In 9 2/3 innings, Hudson has a 2.79 ERA and 0.72 WHIP while holding opponents to a .188 average.
Fedde has been the Sox’s most dependable arm over his past seven outings, going 2-2 with a 2.56 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. He allowed one run on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts his last time out, though he fell one out short of completing five innings.
The Sox could use some length from the veteran tonight. Skipper Will Venable had to turn to the arm barn after just four innings from Anthony Kay on Tuesday, and the Royals made sure nobody got too comfortable with Chicago’s early lead. Fedde has completed five innings in three of his last four appearances. If he can cover five or six after Hudson’s opening stint, the rest of the bullpen gets a much more manageable assignment.
Fedde’s breaking pitches rank in the 97th percentile in run value, with his sweeper in the 99th. His changeup sits in the second percentile, while his chase and whiff rates have been low. Getting ahead and leaning on that sweeper would help keep Kansas City from stringing together another long inning.
Seth Lugo starts for the Royals. The righthander is 7-9 with a 5.06 ERA and 1.46 WHIP, but things have been even rougher over his past seven starts: a 7.60 ERA and 1.81 WHIP. Houston got to him for four runs on eight hits over five innings in his last outing. That’s good news for the Pale Hose.
Lugo’s Savant numbers offer the Sox an opening. He ranks in the 11th percentile in expected ERA and the ninth in expected slugging percentage, while his four-seamer and sweeper have both struggled by run value. Chicago put up 14 runs Tuesday. Asking for a few more against Lugo doesn’t feel greedy, does it?
On the offensive side Randal Grichuk, Miguel Vargas and Brenton Doyle have each hit better than .330 over the past seven days, although Vargas is the only one of the three in tonight’s starting lineup. Kyle Teel, Andrew Benintendi and Colson Montgomery have all hit below .200 in that span. They’ll have a chance to turn things around against a pitcher who has had trouble limiting hard contact.
White Sox Lineup
The Royals don’t walk much or hit for a great deal of power, and their -105 run differential reflects a difficult season. Tuesday was a reminder that they can still score in bunches when the pitching gives them the chance. A clean opening from Hudson and a lengthy outing from Fedde would go a long way toward making this one less stressful.
Royals Lineup
First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. CDT at Kauffman Stadium. The game will air on CHSN, with radio coverage on ESPN 1000.
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