http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/mlb/gameda...e_state=Pregame

 

 

Sale tries to figure out playoff-chasing Twins

 

By Scott Merkin / MLB.com

 

Chris Sale has a chance to win the American League Cy Young for the first time in his career. The talented southpaw also needs 71 strikeouts to reach 300 for the 2015 season. But with his trip to the mound Tuesday night at Target Field, the southpaw simply hopes to figure out the Twins in the series opener.

 

Sale has made four starts against the Twins this season and has a 1-3 record with a 6.46 ERA. He has allowed 140 hits and 61 earned runs over 171 1/3 innings. Twenty-eight of those hits and 17 of the earned runs have come against the Twins.

Tyler Duffey makes his fifth start and first against the White Sox. Minnesota, who is trying to chase down the Rangers for the second AL Wild Card, holds a 9-4 edge over the White Sox this season, including a 6-1 mark at Target Field.

Things to know about this game

• The Twins have outscored the White Sox by a 78-35 margin this season. They are 8-2 in their last 10 games with the South Siders, after losing two of the first three.

• Erik Johnson, who has had a strong bounceback season for Triple-A Charlotte after a dismal 2014 with the White Sox and the Knights, figures to be one of the callups Tuesday when rosters expand. Johnson was scheduled to pitch Sunday for the Knights but was a late scratch, although he still is not expected to start for the White Sox in Minneapolis.

• Sale's 229 strikeouts rank second in the Majors behind Clayton Kershaw's 236. They are the fifth-highest single-season total in franchise history.

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Merk's Works, follow him on Twitter @scottmerkin and listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

 

WHITE SOX

1. Adam Eaton CF

2. Tyler Saladino 3B

3. Jose Abreu DH

4. Melky Cabrera LF

5. Avisail Garcia RF

6. Adam LaRoche 1B

7. Alexei Ramirez SS

8. Carlos Sanchez 2B

9. Tyler Flowers C

 

Sale P

 

TWINS

1. Brian Dozier 2B

2. Joe Mauer 1B

3. Trevor Plouffe 3B

4. Miguel Sano 3B

5. Torii Hunter RF

6. Eddie Rosario LF

7. Eduardo Escobar SS

8. Kurt Suzuki C

9. Byron Buxton CF

 

Duffey P

Hilarious that LaRoche is getting at bats.

Free Trayce

You have to kidding me. This is a joke right?

Hilarious that LaRoche is getting at bats.

1. Trayce has strong position splits against lefties, and being a little careful with him is not a bad thing.

2. Adam LaRoche is still under contract for $13 million by the White Sox next year. Like it or not, Adam LaRoche is going to be on the Chicago White Sox in 2016 starting a lot of time at DH and 1b.

3. Adam LaRoche has had some hits lately, with a .930 OPS over his last 7 starts.

4. There is a righty on the mound.

 

If you can get Adam LaRoche's confidence up and help him have a good last month, that at least improves your chances of getting something useful out of him for $13 million in 2016.

 

When there is a righty starter on the mound, Adam LaRoche should be in the lineup, at least until the White Sox are ready to eat his contract.

So they are fine with throwing mediocre offensive bats right into the fire with Saladino, Sanchez and Johnson but with Trayce they feel the need to treat him like a delicate flower that cant be overwhelmed with too much at one time?

Knightni , very well crafted title, subtitle and accompanying post for the game thread. You should do it for a living

I don't have a problem with LaRoche in the lineup. If we have any hope of contending next year he needs to turn things around.

Obviously Trace Thompson is the new savior. I hope Rick can sign him to a team friendly extension asap, buying out arb and a coupe free agent years.

The whole issue with LaRoche this year is that he is a platoon player. Its unfortunate that it took an entire season for Robin to realize it but the emergence of Thompson bodes well for LaRoche being used strictly against RHP next year, which greatly increases his chances of success.

Obviously Trace Thompson is the new savior. I hope Rick can sign him to a team friendly extension asap, buying out arb and a coupe free agent years.

 

Obviously anyone that wants to see him in the lineup must think he is the savior right? It couldnt be that we may want to see all the young guys play the majority of the time to end this year because the season is over and we already know what we have in the veteran players?

Obviously anyone that wants to see him in the lineup must think he is the savior right? It couldnt be that we may want to see all the young guys play the majority of the time to end this year because the season is over and we already know what we have in the veteran players?

You must have missdthe post last game where Trace not starting vs RHP is going to cost the Sox season ticket accounts.

 

 

BTW, LaRoche 14 starts vs. LHP, not like he was doimg a lot of it.

 

 

I would lov Trace to be a .450- .500 hitter. I unfortunately feel his numbers thus far in the lower levels probably rule that out.

Edited September 1, 201511 yr by Dick Allen

Let's hope that Sale gets the W today and lowers his ERA to 3.10 ish.

 

Go Sox!!!

You have to kidding me. This is a joke right?

You mean the White Sox? Yes.

Let us strive mightily to smite those two-headed monsters

So they are fine with throwing mediocre offensive bats right into the fire with Saladino, Sanchez and Johnson but with Trayce they feel the need to treat him like a delicate flower that cant be overwhelmed with too much at one time?

 

 

Keep Thompson's at bats down this year so he can qualify for a run in 2016 as Rookie of the Year, What baseball logic dictates he must play every game closing out 2015?

Keep Thompson's at bats down this year so he can qualify for a run in 2016 as Rookie of the Year, What baseball logic dictates he must play every game closing out 2015?

That's a terrible reason to not play him.

I hope I'm wrong, but I don't see Thompson as anything special.

 

I mean look at Saladino. He was scorching hot when he got called up, similar to how Thompson is doing now. Since then, Saladino has pretty much fallen off the face of the Earth.

 

I don't think Thompson will be any different. At some point, the pitchers will adjust to him and find weaknesses in his swing.

I hope I'm wrong, but I don't see Thompson as anything special.

 

I mean look at Saladino. He was scorching hot when he got called up, similar to how Thompson is doing now. Since then, Saladino has pretty much fallen off the face of the Earth.

 

I don't think Thompson will be any different. At some point, the pitchers will adjust to him and find weaknesses in his swing.

While I agree that Thompson is being overhyped and is nothing special, Saladino was hitting nowhere near as well as Thompson is.

1. Trayce has strong position splits against lefties, and being a little careful with him is not a bad thing.

2. Adam LaRoche is still under contract for $13 million by the White Sox next year. Like it or not, Adam LaRoche is going to be on the Chicago White Sox in 2016 starting a lot of time at DH and 1b.

3. Adam LaRoche has had some hits lately, with a .930 OPS over his last 7 starts.

4. There is a righty on the mound.

 

If you can get Adam LaRoche's confidence up and help him have a good last month, that at least improves your chances of getting something useful out of him for $13 million in 2016.

 

When there is a righty starter on the mound, Adam LaRoche should be in the lineup, at least until the White Sox are ready to eat his contract.

 

Please, don't get me started. The Sox have to attempt to get his confidence up? He's a professional earning 13 mil this year. Just do your job!

 

Obviously Trace Thompson is the new savior. I hope Rick can sign him to a team friendly extension asap, buying out arb and a coupe free agent years.

 

Hmmm, maybe a bright spot amid this awful season and we'd like to see more of.

 

Ughhh

Sale looks terrible.

What is with Sale and Minnesota? He blows against them.

It's what the Twins do.