White Sox at Indians (1st)
THE STORY:
The teams battling for second place in the American League Central will
have a long day Tuesday as the Chicago White Sox and host Cleveland
Indians meet in a day-night doubleheader. The Indians lead the White Sox
by 1 1/2 games. Chicago has won nine of the 14 games in the season
series.
TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), STO (Cleveland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: White Sox RH Gavin Floyd (12-11, 4.42 ERA) vs. Indians RH Fausto Carmona (6-15, 5.26).
Floyd
hasn't won since Aug. 29 when he defeated Seattle. He is 0-1 in his
last three starts, yielding nine runs in 16 innings. Floyd is 2-0 with a
2.49 ERA in four starts this season against the Indians. He is 6-3 with
a 4.33 ERA lifetime versus Cleveland. Jim Thome is 4-for-8 with five
walks in his career against Floyd. A root canal might be more pleasant
than watching Carmona pitch lately. He is 0-3 with an 8.68 ERA in his
last four starts and hasn't won since Aug. 17. Carmona is 8-5 with a
5.54 ERA against the White Sox in his career. Paul Konerko is batting
.400 (8-for-20) with two homers, nine RBIs and seven walks against
Carmona.
ABOUT THE WHITE SOX (74-78): Chicago broke a seven-game losing
streak Sunday in Kansas City. The entire team has faltered as the season
comes to a close, with the pitching staff taking the lead. The White
Sox have allowed 61 runs in their last eight games. Chicago has lost
nine of its last 12 games, which isn't what anyone expected from a team
that was picked to contend in the division.
ABOUT THE INDIANS (75-76):
After winning three straight, the Indians had a bad day Monday. An
early 3-0 lead against Seattle turned into a 12-6 loss as Cleveland
pitchers allowed their fifth grand slam in the last 12 games. It
certainly wasn't the way manager Manny Acta wanted his pitching staff to
begin a homestand in which the Indians will play nine games in seven
days.
FINAL PITCH: After taking an 0-for-20 slump into Saturday, Cleveland shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera is 7-for-9 in the last two games.