Chris Sale Day will be mostly spent cleaning up from Labor Day Weekend – Lineups & Preview 9/3

Aug 28, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher

(49) pitches against the Houston Astros during the first inning at U.S. Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

What do you do when your team turns out one of the worst performances in a year filled with ghastly performances and grotesque mutilations of baseball? You hop right back onto that horse and fire off the exact same lineup again. “We fall to learn to get back on the horse,” “Never stop fighting until the fight is done,” “Don’t shoot until you see the whites in their eyes,” “F*** it, I’m throwing downfield,”–One or more of these sayings is applicable.

And good that it is!  Conor Gillaspie should be starting against a right-handed pitcher. Paul Konerko won’t be around forever and Adam Dunn is going to have to learn that Alexei Ramirez is not as tall as him eventually. And it’s better for Avisail Garcia‘s development that he play in center; not because he’ll end up there, but because Jordan Danks is already emotionally equipped to handle the shame and anguish of some weakly hit fly ball bouncing off the top of the right field wall–some 150 feet away from home plate–and over for a game-winning home run.

White Sox Lineup:

1. Alejandro De Aza – LF
2. Gordon Beckham – 2B
3. Alexei Ramirez – SS
4. Adam Dunn – 1B
5. Paul Konerko – DH
6. Avisail Garcia – CF
7. Conor Gillaspie – 3B
8. Jordan Danks – RF
9. Josh Phegley – C

Chris Sale, SP

When we last saw Chris Sale, he was pitching against the Astros. Boy did he look great! Facing a whiff-happy Houston offense, Sale struck out 12 batters over eight one-run innings.

However, Sale’s month of August slyly contained two separate incidents of shelling and he carried a 3.95 ERA for the dog days. Still, he’s well on his way to burning past the 200-innings mark for the first time in his career, likely only needing three more starts.

Yankees Lineup:

1. Brett Gardner – CF
2. Derek Jeter – DH
3. Robinson Cano – 2B
4. Alfonso Soriano – LF
5. Alex Rodriguez – 3B
6. Vernon Wells – RF
7. Mark Reynolds – 1B
8. Eduardo Nunez – SS
9. Chris Stewart – C

Hiroki Kuroda, SP

Notice Joe Girardi evacuating every left-hander possible from the lineup in anticipation of Sale’s arrival, leaving Brett Gardner and Robinson Cano like the last guys standing on the roof of the Saigon embassy. Lefties are hitting .137/.213/.155 against Sale this season, which might be why less than 20% of the batters he’s faced have lined up in that batter’s box.

In the meantime, fear and respect Hiroki Kuroda

Where to Watch: 6:05 PM CT on WGN and YES

Follow James Fegan on Twitter @JRFegan