They’re still playing games – Lineups & Preview 6/28

Hey, your GM just shot every player in the clubhouse besides the old guy and the skinny guy with a pricing gun, what are you going to do next?!

Play a true doubleheader with the Cleveland Indians! Woooooooo!

A nice way to put it is that the White Sox have achieved enlightenment as to their regular season fate, while the Indians remain chasing mysteries and looking no farther than their nose for glory.

Or, the Sox have put the farm up for sale while the Indians hope the Tigers can keep underperforming their run differential until the end of the season. That strategy almost worked for the Sox last season, so who can fault it?

Hey, how’s Paul Konerko doing, by the way, since he was due to return this weekend and all?

Oh.

That means a continuation of the lineup that features Brent Morel, Jeff Keppinger and Dayan Viciedo in the No. 5 despite being a terrible hitter who is particularly terrible against right-handed pitchers.

That right-handed pitcher is going to be Trevor Bauer, the mercurial top starting pitching prospect that the Indians traded for this past offseason. In three spot starts in the bigs this season, Bauer has 15 walks in 16.1 innings and only 11 strikeout. He is an unfinished project, but aren’t they all?

White Sox Lineup

1. Alejandro De Aza – CF
2. Alexei Ramirez – SS
3. Alex Rios – RF
4. Adam Dunn – 1B
5. Dayan Viciedo – LF
6. Jeff Keppinger – DH
7. Brent Morel – 3B
8. Gordon Beckham – 2B
9. Tyler Flowers – C

Hector Santiago, SP

Hector has been stupendous when grabbing opportunities to start in the wake of injuries to Gavin Floyd and Jake Peavy. As much as he is and was praised just yesterday by Tyler Flowers and Don Cooper on The Score for being a rubber arm-type who is always ready to go, he has a 2.68 ERA in 47 innings as a starter alongside 50 strikeouts and a reasonable sum of 21 walks. Maybe just plugging him in every five days and leaving him be is what’s best for the young man.

Cleveland Indians lineup

1. Drew Stubbs – CF
2. Asdrubal Cabrera – SS
3. Jason Kipnis – 2B
4. Nick Swisher – DH
5. Mark Reynolds – 1B
6. Ryan Raburn – RF
7. Yan Gomes – C
8. Lonnie Chisenhall – 3B
9. Mike Aviles – LF

Trevor Bauer, SP

The Indians just got Asdrubal Cabrera back from the diabled list, which I guess makes Mike Aviles a left fielder for a day. Carlos Santana and Jason Kipnis are menacing figures to be feared and respected. Luckily, only Kipnis is playing in the first of these contests.

Where to Watch: CSN