It’s going to be an emotional night for the New York Yankees and their fans, as the Bronx Bombers play their first home game since the passing of Yankees great, Yogi Berra. The Chicago White Sox, on the other hand, look to put a jolt to their very dim playoff chances when they send the ever-dangerous Chris Sale to the mound.
Read on for more about this game. You can also click here for a preview of Mets vs. Reds and here for Brewers vs. Cardinals.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Chicago White Sox vs. New York Yankees Preview
Where: Yankee Stadium
When: Thursday, September 24, 2015, 7:05 PM ET
Line: Chicago White Sox vs. New York Yankees – view all MLB lines
Betting on the Chicago White Sox
[sc:MLB240banner ]The White Sox are virtually out of the playoff race—even as a wild card—but don’t expect Chris Sale (12-10, 3.47 ERA) to go easy on hitters. That said, the lanky strikeout machine (leads American League with 259 K’s) is having quite a bad month, as he is 0-3 with a 5.40 ERA in four starts thus far this September.
Sale, however, did better in his most recent start, pitching for seven innings and allowing just one run on eight hits, while striking out nine, albeit in a 12-1 loss in Cleveland. It was tough luck for Sale, who had to put up with the White Sox’s inept offense and a bumbling bullpen, which opened the floodgates for Cleveland’s offense.
As bad as Sale has been in parts of his past three starts, Chicago’s offense wasn’t great either, producing just three total runs during those games. Backend pitching for the White Sox, meanwhile, is sporting a 1-4 record and a 5.29 ERA with three blown saves thus far this month.
If Sale’s past performances against the Yankees are any indication, then he could be bound for another good game. So far in his career, Sale is 3-0 with a 0.72 ERA and 0.80 WHIP in five starts against New York. Of course, the offense has to be there for the White Sox or else see another potential Sale gem go to waste.
Jose Abreu is one of the few bright spots in Chicago’s lineup. He is hitting .292 with 29 homers and 96 RBIs this year. Adam Eaton, meanwhile, is .360 (9-for-25) over his last six games.
Create a betting account now and put your own prediction to the test.
Betting on the New York Yankees
Following a solid performance in his last start, Michael Pineda (11-8, 4.10 ERA) steps on the mound later tonight, looking to help the Yankees catch the Toronto Blue Jays atop the American League East.
On the road against the Mets on September 19, Pineda hurled 5.1 scoreless innings, giving up just four hits, while recording four punch-outs. With the victory, Pineda improved his September record to 2-0 to go along with a 3.57 ERA. Pineda, however, has been shaky at home this season. He is only 4-4 with a 4.29 ERA in 13 starts at the Bronx.
With that said, Pineda will have to be wary of the White Sox’s offense that ranks 11th in the majors in runs (323) and 10th in batting average (.254) during road games.
As for the offense, the Yankees will count on the likes of Jacoby Ellsbury, Greg Bird, and Carlos Beltran. Ellsbury has been gaining steam of late atop the order, batting .440 (11-for-25) in his last six games. Bird is 8-for-23 (.348) with four homers and nine RBIs, while Beltran is 6-for-23 (.273) with two homers and seven runs driven during the same six-game stretch.
Dating back to 2012, New York is 8-0 in its last eight home games against the White Sox.
Writer’s Prediction
New York wins, 4-3.
[sc:MLB490banner ]2,004 total views, 1 views today
