Shields draws Nats in his White Sox debut
Having lost 19 of their past 25 contests, the White Sox desperately need an infusion of energy. Can James Shields be the one to deliver as much?
Chicago sends its newly acquired righty to the mound vs. Washington tonight, with an 8:10 p.m. ET first pitch at U.S. Cellular Field. Oddsmakers at online sports book Bovada.lv remain skeptical concerning the prospects of Robin Ventura’s bunch. The Nats, conversely, are listed as -172 road favorites.
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Shields comes aboard after going 2-7 with a 4.28 ERA in 11 starts for the Padres. But he’s exceedingly familiar with the American League, where the 34-year-old spent nine seasons with Tampa Bay and Kansas City. For the purpose of this interleague matchup, Shields must contain a Washington attack that erupted for 10 runs and 12 hits yesterday. Dusty Baker’s club owns an 8-2 record against AL adversaries.
In several hours, the skipper deploys a man with a 12-6 career mark vs. the South Siders. Former Detroit sensation Max Scherzer (6-4, 3.87 ERA) will encounter the White Sox for the 24th time. In his last outing, the St. Louis native limited the Phillies to a pair of tallies across eight innings.
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Expect Chicago (29-29) to do a fair share of fanning here. Until Jose Abreu (.256 batting average) busts out of his extended slide, the heart of Ventura’s lineup won’t make any foe tremble. The Nationals (35-23), on the other hand, should feel good about extending that 3 1/2-game edge in the NL East.
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