Tonight begins the Chicago White Sox three-game series against the Texas Rangers at Guaranteed Rate Field.
This is the first and only matchup the Sox have against the reigning World Series winner at home. Here is a preview of each game with a hint of how the Sox can stay competitive against the defending World Series champions.
Game 1: Aug. 27 at 7:10 CST
Garrett Crochet looks to add another solid start to his record against Andrew Heaney.
Though he had a rough outing versus the Chicago Cubs on August 9th, the Crochet that Sox fans know and admire has returned to form. In the last two games, he limited opponents to three earned runs and struck out 13 batters. He should easily limit runs against the Rangers, who only have a .237 team average.
Tonight is the easiest game for the Sox to win. With a righty-heavy lineup against a lefty starter, the Sox must attack early to give the bullpen run insurance.
Neither team has a great bullpen, but the Rangers aren’t as bad as the Sox. The Sox have blown 49 leads while the Rangers have only blown 31 leads.
Game 2: Aug. 28 at 7:10 CST
Tomorrow, starter Chris Flexen should expect to see Jack Leiter opposite on the mound. Flexen has struggled in his last seven games, posting a 6.97 ERA and allowing 24 earned runs.
Leiter returns from Triple-A after being demoted in May when he failed to keep his ERA below 17.00 in three starts. The rookie will get a chance to shake off his rusty start in the Major League against an inconsistent Sox offense.
If center fielder Dominic Fletcher starts, he has to put the Sox up early.
Lately, he has a .280 AVG with six runs in the last 15 games. Leadoff hitter and second-baseman Nicky Lopez has also been hot in the previous two weeks, recording a .328 ERA and 12 hits. The key for the Sox on Wednesday is keeping the hits coming.
Game 3: Aug. 29 at 1:10 CST
The series concludes on Thursday with either Jonathan Cannon or Davis Martin starting.
Cannon is a rookie and has had a rough August, giving up 27 hits and 14 earned runs in four starts. Martin was called up in late July and has held a 3.29 ERA, but tends to walk batters. Both must stay in command with two-time World Series Champion and AL All-Star Nathan Eovaldi starting for the Rangers.
The Sox need to be patient against Eovaldi, as they struggle to produce runs late in games. Success against Eovaldi requires patience.
To accomplish this, righties need to lay off Eovaldi’s splitter, which gets righties to chase outside and breaks roughly two inches more vertically than the average league splitter.