After an unexpected day of rest thanks to Sunday’s rain out against Cleveland, the White Sox hit the road for three games against another division foe, beginning with Monday’s 3:10 p.m. game against the Twins, the home opener in Minnesota.
Minnesota, which went 13-6 against the White Sox in 2015, is off to a terrible start to the season, coming off back-to-back road sweeps against the Orioles and Royals, respectively. Their offense is hitting just .210/.282/.346 in the early going, and youngsters Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton have combined to for just six hits and 22 strikeouts between them. Couple that with newly-acquired Korean Byung-Ho Park‘s three hits (but with one home run) and 11 additional strikeouts, and you get the makings of, well, an 0-6 record. Sunday’s loss was particularly devastating, involving a blown lead, and culminating in a wild pitch-fueled extra innings defeat.
Starting Monday’s home opener for Minnesota is Kyle Gibson, who had a disastrous debut to 2016, walking five, allowing seven hits and four earned runs in a loss to the Orioles last week. Gibson fits in well in the Twins’ stable of soft-tossing, strikeout-deficient pitching staff, as he’s whiffed just 5.9 hitters per nine innings during his career. In 2015 he was unbelievably effective against the White Sox, however, as in four starts he allowed just four earned runs in 29.2 innings with 23 strikeouts and just two walks.
After his Sunday start was postponed, Jose Quintana will get his second start of the season Monday and will look to continue the White Sox’ string of their starters giving up three earned runs or less. In his first start against Oakland last week, he went 5.2 innings (the shortest outing by a White Sox starter through six games) and allowed just two earned runs while striking out seven and walking zero.
Adam Eaton is back after missing Saturday’s game because of the birth of his first child. He was placed on paternity leave for Sunday’s game, with reliever Michael Ynoa called up to take his place. We hardly knew ye, Ynoa.
White Sox Lineup
With Eaton back, Ventura has opted to bump Austin Jackson back down to the 9-slot, although he has certainly looked promising at the plate so far this season. Perhaps we can chalk up Ventura’s intention to start Jerry Sands against a RHP on Sunday up to a weird situation – players constantly exposed to brutally cold weather, Eaton gone for the birth of his child, etc. I don’t blame Ventura for wanting to get everybody on the 25-man some playing time, but this would have been his second attempt to do so with Sands against right-handed pitching. Hopefully that fit of madness has passed, but it is a reminder that Ventura is prone to bouts of inexplicable tactics, and the presence of Rick Renteria may not be enough to stop it. We dodge the bullet at the outset of today’s game, at least.
Top Photo Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports