Hoping For a Chris Sale Rerun – Lineups 8/28

I guess you could call last night a heartbreaker, but that may be a stretch. The Sox edged into a game they probably should have lost straight out and then gave it up late anyway. It ends a win streak, but not the world, and another shot at victory presents itself.

Tonight a win seems a likely outcome with Chris Sale on the mound. Last time out, Sale dominated a hard hitting Yankees lineup, so he’s feeling pretty good about himself. The Yankees would feel a lot better about it if he does the same against the Orioles, keeping them a safe distance behind NY in the AL East standings. 7.2 innings, 13 strikeouts and 1 run…well he might not duplicate that but the Sox are looking for Sale to hold a formidable Orioles offense at bay so they can scratch a couple runs of their own across.

Chris Tillman will be trying to prevent that scratching. The Orioles scratched the first half of Tillman’s season as he’s struggled to live up to the promise of a high-end pitching prospect. He was brought back up from the minors at the beginning of July and has shown definite improvement over the pitcher that has graced the Baltimore rotation in years past. He’s still only 24, lots of time for him to learn how to get guys out regularly. His last 3 starts haven’t been great though he did manage a “quality start” in Arlington which is an accomplishment in itself. He’s not walking the world, but he’s still not incredibly economic with his pitches and can have some trouble getting deep into games. Most of his time in the minors he was a strikeout pitcher, it’s what got him his prospect status and it’s what he tries to continue to be. Choosing pitches to hit will be key for the Sox, a free swinging squad can play right into his hands.

Tonight’s Lineup:

1.Wise – CF
2.Youk – 3B
3.Big Donkey – DH
4.Paulie – 1B
5.Rios – RF
6.AJ – C
7.Dayan – LF
8.Alexei – SS
9.Gordo – 2B

Back to the Wise lineup, with Dunn back in the DH spot and Paulie at first. Any time the White Sox face a pitcher with that has trouble going deep into games, it’s imperative that Youk and Dunn set the tone with patience and see plenty of pitches.

Where to Watch
Game available in Chicago on Comcast SportsNet, MASN in Baltimore and MLB Network will be carrying the game nationally. 6:05 Central start time.