Trying to Beat Mr. Chen – Lineups 9/8

It wasn’t so much that the lineup was in a poor order last night as the right guys for the right time just weren’t available. The lack of Adam Dunn and Kevin Youkilis stood out, particularly when Jose Lopez failed to come through with the bases loaded in the 8th and Dan Johnson struck out to end the game. Wise, as it were, actually had quite a day logging a triple and a HR. Today we will again be without the services of the hitters that see the most pitches on the team. Youkilis is still out on paternity leave and Dunn is apparently not ready to work his sore oblique.

On the plus side, Chris Sale is on the mound. Sale was good until he wasn’t in his last outing, which came against the Detroit Tigers. He struck out 7 and he walked 4 by the time it was all said and done to go along with his 4 runs.

Bruce Chen’s best start of his season came just 2 starts ago…against the Tigers. He went 8 innings, walked just one and allowed 4 total hits while not letting anybody score. The Royals won that game 1-0. It may seem like it, but it’s not a White Sox thing. Chen is inconsistent and has had a couple of good starts against the Sox. His most recent start wasn’t so pretty; he served up 4 homeruns to the Rangers en route to a loss. Let’s choose to build on that, rather than the legend he’s amassed at U.S. Cellular.

Today’s Lineup:

1.Wise – CF
2.Ramirez – SS
3.Dayan – LF
4.Konerko – 1B
5.Rios – RF
6.AJ – DH
7.Flowers – C
8.Olmedo – 3B
9.Beckham – 2B

A wiser choice for the lineup, considering the parts available. Some of that is due to the fact that Ray Olmedo is getting the start at 3B instead of Robin’s apparent preferred 2 hitter of Jose Lopez. Viciedo has a .500 against Chen, albeit in just 16 at-bats. Believe it or not, the next top performer against the lefty Chen is A.J. Pierzynski. A.J. has a pair of homeruns and a .424 batting average against him in 37 plate appearances.

Where to Watch
Game available regionally on FOX with a 3:05 start time.