Sabathia Faces Sox
It’s hasn’t been easy, but the Chicago White Sox have been successful against the Cleveland Indians all season. It’s one reason why the teams are moving in opposite directions in the AL Central.
The division-leading White Sox, looking for their seventh straight victory, will try to complete a three-game sweep of ace C.C. Sabathia and the struggling Indians on Wednesday.
Oddsmakers from Sportsbook.com have made Chicago -105 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has been set at 8 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 63% of bets for this game have been placed on Chicago -105 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
Chicago (48-35) has won eight of 11 meetings versus Cleveland (37-47) this season despite outscoring the Indians by only a 52-47 margin.
The teams played another tight contest Tuesday. Cleveland’s Cliff Lee and Chicago’s John Danks dueled for eight innings, but neither earned a decision as Orlando Cabrera delivered an RBI single in the 10th inning to lift the White Sox to a 3-2 come-from-behind victory.
It was Chicago’s eighth straight home win – one shy of the streak it had from May 25-June 13 – and sixth consecutive victory overall. The team also maintained its 2 1/2-game lead over Minnesota in the Central.
Last-place Cleveland, meanwhile, has dropped four straight and seven of its last nine games to fall 11 1/2 games behind the White Sox.
"In the position we’re in trying to play catchup, you can’t afford to let these games get away. … We had an opportunity and I let it slip away," Indians closer Joe Borowski said after suffering his fourth blown save in 10 chances Tuesday.
With the Indians languishing at the bottom of the division, Sabathia (6-8, 3.78 ERA) has become the topic of trade rumors.
The left-hander, who hasn’t discussed whether he’ll opt for free agency after the season, has succeeded in spite of those distractions. He has led the Indians to four straight wins, going 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA in that span while fanning at least 10 in each of his last three outings.
The left-hander struck out a season high-tying 11 and scattered four hits in eight innings of a 6-0 home win over Cincinnati on Friday.
The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner hasn’t had much trouble against the White Sox, going 14-4 with a 3.61 ERA in 25 career starts.
However, he’ll be trying to avoid back-to-back losses to them for the first time after he gave up two runs and seven hits over seven innings in a 4-1 defeat on May 20 at U.S. Cellular Field – his first loss to Chicago in 11 starts.
Jose Contreras (7-6, 3.99), on the mound for the White Sox in that outing, looks to record a fourth straight victory over the Indians. In winning his last two starts against them, he has allowed one run and eight hits, while striking out nine in 12 2-3 innings.
On Friday, the right-hander snapped a personal three-game losing streak by limiting the Chicago Cubs to three runs and seven hits in six innings of a 10-3 home victory. Six days earlier, they roughed him up for a season-high nine runs and 10 hits in an 11-7 loss.
"After an outing is over, a good one or a bad one, I erase it the next day," Contreras said through a translator.
White Sox right fielder Jermaine Dye went 0-for-4 on Tuesday to end an 11-game hitting streak in which he was 18-for-43 (.419) with six homers and 18 RBIs.
Dye has batted .284 with 29 homers and 85 RBIs in 124 career games against the Indians. He is 12-for-40 (.300) with three homers and eight RBIs lifetime versus Sabathia.
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