Series Preview. White Sox vs. Twins

The White Sox and the Twins are the two hottest teams in the AL Central right now. Both teams are 6-4 in their last ten. The White Sox are coming off a big sweep of the Cubs and the Twins just took 2 out of 3 from the Brewers. Interleague is over and both teams are ready to face division opponents to try to gain some ground in the Central. Paul Konerko is hoping to be back for the first and all three of the games against the Twins. He missed the final two games of the series against the Cubs after being hit in the head during the first game. If he is back, that will be a huge difference-maker for the White Sox. Konerko leads the team in almost every offensive statistic. The Twins have a very productive offense and will be a tough test for the White Sox pitching staff.

Game 1
Gavin Floyd (3-4, 3.44 ERA) vs. P.J Walters (1-1, 3.65 ERA)

This should be an interesting matchup. Floyd has been better this year than he was last year, but still has the potential to be better. If he has a good start, the Sox have a good shot at winning, but if his start is lousy, the Sox will probably lose. Walters hasn't been too impressive this year and if Konerko is back, the White Sox offense could get sparked and score some runs to help the Sox get a win.

I think the winner of this game will probably end of winning the series because of the momentum that this game will give. Neither team has a huge advantage in this game and neither pitcher is a dominate pitcher that you can count on to win games. Whichever offense shows up and scores runs in the first game will get momentum and keep playing well during the rest of the series.

Game 2
Chris Sale (4-2, 2.91 ERA) vs. Scott Diamond (3-0, 1.40 ERA)

Both Chris Sale and Scott Diamond have had good seasons so far on the mound. Diamond has not recorded a loss yet and Sale has been dominant in many of his starts. This game will likely be low scoring and will go to the team that plays the smartest game and takes advantage of every chance to score runs.

The White Sox are not very good at taking advantage of chances to score runs, so the the Twins will probably win this game. If the Sox can somehow get at Diamond early in the game, they could win by giving Sale a lead and confidence and having the confidence at the plate that hitting this guy won't be very hard. This will be an interesting game to watch.

Game 3
Philip Humber (1-2, 5.31 ERA) vs. Carl Pavano (2-3, 4.91 ERA)

Both Humber and Pavano have good reputations as pitchers, but neither pitcher has impressive stats so far this year. This game could either be an offensive battle or a pitchers duel depending on how each pitcher performs.

If this game comes down to being an offensive battle, I think the White Sox will probably lose. The Twins have a better offense than the White Sox have and are better at taking advantage of every opportunity to score runs as I mentioned previously. If the White Sox can get better at being smart offensive players and hitting when it's most needed, they will win more games like this and more games in general.