Chicago has dropped to last place in the American League Central and is 29-36 on the season, and a few more weeks of struggles will likely make them sellers at the trading deadline. While the White Sox have only been outscored by two runs this season they don’t seem to have enough star power to hang around in the divisional or playoff races.
Toronto has a better shot at reeling off some wins to complete the turnaround, and this series seems available for the taking if the Blue Jays play well.
This series will be contested from Friday, June 16 through Sunday, June 18, 2017 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Saturday’s game will be televised on MLB Network.
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Pitching Matchups
The White Sox will begin the series by starting Jose Quintana. He is one of the stronger pitchers in the American League but has struggled mightily this season with a 2-8 record and a 5.30 ERA. Quintana is striking out nearly a batter per inning and should see his ERA decrease as the year goes on. The Blue Jays are scheduled to start Joe Biagini, who is 1-5 with a 3.38 ERA. While the overall record is poor, he has done a nice job filling in as a starter and should be able to keep this a competitive matchup.
On Saturday, Chicago is slated to start Mike Pelfrey. He is 2-5 on the year with a 3.81 ERA. Pelfrey has only allowed six earned runs in his past six starts combined, but there is always the worry of regression for a pitcher with a poor strikeout-to-walk ratio and lack of putaway stuff. The Blue Jays should have the pitching advantage behind Marcus Stroman, who is 7-2 with a 3.09 ERA. He is one of the team’s best starters and will aim to silence the White Sox bats.
In the series finale, the White Sox will welcome back veteran James Shields, who hasn’t pitched since April due to injury. He was really good in his first three starts, entering 1-0 with a 1.62 ERA. Shields is a former standout who is hoping to prove he’s got something left as he gets older. The Blue Jays will send out J.A. Happ, who is 1-4 with a 4.31 ERA in six starts this season. Happ threw six shutout innings in a win over the Mariners last time out.
Player to Watch
Matt Davidson -- The White Sox third baseman enters this series on a serious hot streak. The 26-year-old has hit four home runs in four straight games including a grand slam on Tuesday, the first of his career.
Davidson has 14 home runs on the season. He has provided quite a spark for the White Sox offense lately with seven hits in the last four games and eight RBIs.
Davidson, who is in his first full season in the majors this year, is hitting .259 with an on-base percentage of .306. He will look to keep the hits coming against the Blue Jays this weekend.
Justin Smoak’s Ascent
The Blue Jays have benefitted from an unlikely contribution from a former top prospect. Justin Smoak was considered a bust heading into this season, but he has been fantastic through 64 games.
Smoak has hit 18 home runs for Toronto this season with his latest coming against Seattle on June 10th. He is tied for fifth in the league in round-trippers.
Smoak is hitting .293, compared to .217 last season, with an on-base percentage of .353. He also has 43 RBIs on the season, giving the Blue Jays another major bat in the middle of the lineup.
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