What’s This “Win Streak” Stuff? – Lineups & Preview 8/7
By Matt Adams
Hey look, a White Sox befuddling a Yankee! // Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Coming off of a ten-game losing streak or not, one more win for the White Sox and that makes three in a row. They call that a winning streak. It has happened before.
The kind souls gifting the White Sox with this opportunity are toting a media villain on their roster. The Yankees new third baseman has not exactly helped them score any runs as they’ve managed just three in the first two games of the series.
A gambling man, if he were to look at recent history and attempt to determine the outcome of a game, would actually choose the Sox to emerge victorious. This won’t happen often in a game not headlined by Chris Sale, but there is good reason. C.C. Sabathia has been horrid in his last three starts; never escaping the sixth and allowing a total of 19 runs in those games. Hector Santiago, on the other hand is riding a nice stretch in which he’s averaged an allowance of two earned runs in half a dozen games. The Yankees offense is struggling, as mentioned, and the White Sox appear to actually have an offense. Consider this the jinx: it looks good!
White Sox Lineup:
1. Alexei Ramirez – SS
2. Alejandro De Aza – CF
3. Alex Rios – RF
4. Paul Konerko – 1B
5. Gordon Beckham – 2B
6. Dayan Viciedo – DH
7. Casper Wells – LF
8. Conor Gillaspie – 3B
9. Tyler Flowers – C
Hector Santiago, SP
(In case you can’t tell by the tone, the rest of this is written by James Fegan)
Sabathia has been struggling all season and the Sox are a lost cause, but here comes the type of aggressive platooning that I had hoped to see from Ventura back when nights on the South Side still had the faint residue of hope. Unfortunately, Dayan Viciedo has reversed his platoon splits so far this season and not in a particularly pleasing this way. He’s hitting .253/.299/.367 against southpaws in 2013. Conor Gillaspie is also starting against a lefty, which unless Jeff Keppinger–god-awful as he has been–is coughing up his own ribs in the clubhouse, is a bit of a no-no. Or a very big no-no.
New York Yankees Lineup:
1. Brett Gardner – CF
2. Alfonso Soriano – LF
3. Alex Rodriguez – 3B
4. Robinson Cano – 2B
5. Vernon Wells – DH
6. Curtis Granderson – RF
7. Eduardo Nunez – SS
8. Lyle Overbay – 1B
9. Austin Romine – C
C.C. Sabathia, SP
David Adams has been so miserable as to provoke Yankees manager Joe Girardi to start Lyle Overbay against a left hander, despite his loathsome .202/.245/.309 slash line against southpaws this season. Hector Santiago, reliant on a changeup and screwball mix for his off-speed offerings and lacking a wipeout slider, is not a traditional lefty-killer, but 95 mph from a same-hander with a whip-like release is no fun at all.
Where to Watch: Today’s game will be broadcast on CSN and YES Network. 7:10 pm CT start time.