White Sox Begin 10-Game Road Trip With Visit to Anaheim

May 13, 2017; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Albert Pujols (5) follows through on a swing for a two RBI single against the Detroit Tigers during the fifth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
May 13, 2017; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Albert Pujols (5) follows through on a swing for a two RBI single against the Detroit Tigers during the fifth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
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White Sox will embark on another 10-game road trip starting Monday in Anaheim. The South Siders will face Angels, Mariners and Diamondbacks on road trip.

After winning its previous series at home against the San Diego Padres, the Chicago White Sox will embark on another 10-game road trip starting on Monday night. The Sox will face the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in a three game series.

With the Sox one game under .500 at 17-18, they will face another team without a winning record in the Angels. The Angels are 19-21 and they’re eight games behind the Houston Astros in the American League West division. With the Astros leading the West, the Angels could have a hard time catching Houston this season.

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The Angels are coming off a series in which they split four games with the Detroit Tigers. The Halos haven’t won a series since the end of April against the Texas Rangers on the road. This series will conclude a seven-game homestand for the Angels.

With the Angels under .500, the Sox could take advantage of a team that has struggled to start this season. The Angels, much like the Sox aren’t strong offensively. While the Sox rank 25th in total offense, the Angels rank 22nd with 151 runs scored. Although they’re being led by Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, the Angels don’t have a very strong lineup.

Trout leads the Angels in batting average at .352 and home runs with 11. However, Trout recently returned from a hamstring injury where he missed five games. The Angels offense can’t be successful without Trout in the lineup. Trout has also hit the Sox very well throughout his career. In 36 games against the Sox, Trout has hit .270 with six home runs and 18 RBI’s. Hopefully he doesn’t do much damage in this series.

Although Trout is leading the Angels in batting average and home runs, Pujols leads the team in RBI’s at 27. Pujols is chasing 600 career home runs and sits at 596. The veteran slugger has hit five home runs this season. Pujols however is hitting .238 with a .275 on-base percentage. The All-Star batter is still a power threat despite his low batting average and .371 slugging percentage.

While the Angels offense is struggling outside of Trout, the team’s pitching isn’t doing so well to start 2017. Currently, the Angels rank 15th in MLB in total pitching with a 4.08 ERA. The Sox rank second with a 3.53 team ERA. The Angels are led by J.C. Ramirez who is 3-3 with a 4.20 ERA.

Ramirez is scheduled to pitch against Derek Holland on Tuesday night for the Angels. The Angels will start Jesse Chavez on Monday night with the Sox starting Mike Pelfrey. In the series finale, Matt Shoemaker will start for the Angels while Miguel Gonzalez will pitch for the Sox.

The Sox appear to have an advantage over the Angels with their pitching, however with Pelfrey starting on Monday, this could be a tough game for the South Siders to win. Although the Sox are 8-8 at home, they’re 9-10 on the road. The Sox went 4-6 in their previous road trip and ended it getting swept by the Baltimore Orioles.

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After their three game series with the Angels, the Sox will travel to Seattle to face the Mariners in a four game weekend series starting on Thursday. The Sox will conclude this road trip with its first interleague series away from Guaranteed Rate Field. On May 22, the Sox will travel to Phoenix to start a three game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks.