Red Sox at White Sox
A Boston Red Sox club that couldn’t seem to get anything right during the first two weeks of the season has quietly put together a four-game winning streak, thanks in large part to an offense that has scored 42 runs in the last five games. The Chicago White Sox have been riding a surprisingly tough pitching staff that ranked second in the majors in opponent batting average before Thursday’s lopsided 9-3 defeat. All nine runs came at the expense of Philip Humber, who was rocked in his first trip to the mound after pitching a perfect game in Seattle.
The Red Sox were expected to contend in the loaded American League East, but injuries to outfielders Carl Crawford (elbow) and Jacoby Ellsbury (shoulder), combined with an abysmal start by the pitching staff, left the team looking up from the basement after a 4-10 start. The unheralded White Sox, meanwhile, remain in a three-way tie atop the AL Central despite losing three straight. Longtime mainstays Paul Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski have led a still-capable Chicago offense, while Humber and Jake Peavy have headlined a rotation that lost ace Mark Buehrle to free agency over the winter.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), WCIU (Chicago)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox RH Daniel Bard (1-2, ERA 4.38) vs. White Sox LH John Danks (2-2, ERA 5.11)
Bard lost his first two career starts, including a 1-0 battle against James Shields and Tampa Bay, before picking up a relief win at Minnesota on Monday. He has 13 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings, but he has also walked nine, losing to the Rays on April 16 when he walked four straight to force in the game’s only run. In eight appearances against Chicago, Bard is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA, two blown saves and three holds.
Danks, who dropped his first eight decisions a year ago before rebounding in the second half, has gotten off to a pedestrian start in 2012. He has gone at least six innings in three of his four starts, but he has given up at least three runs in every outing. The left-hander is 3-4 with a 4.14 ERA in seven career starts against Boston, and current Red Sox are batting just .205 against him.
WALK-OFFS:
1. The Red Sox improved their team batting average to .293, second in the major leagues, with Thursday’s 12-hit barrage. The Boston pitching staff, however, is still a distant last in team ERA at 6.08.
2. With the exception of SS Mike Aviles (3-for-9), no active Boston hitter is batting above .250 against Danks. CF Marlon Byrd is 2-for-15 and 2B Dustin Pedroia is 2-for-12.
3. Chicago SS Alexei Ramirez is 2-for-2 in his career against Bard, but his teammates are a combined 2-for-16 with eight strikeouts.