Braves at White Sox
Atlanta Braves left-hander Mike Minor takes the mound for Sunday’s series finale at the Chicago White Sox looking to ease the pain – physical and otherwise – generated by Paul Maholm’s effort on Saturday. The Braves rank second in ERA, but saw Maholm get rocked for the second consecutive start before leaving with a sprained left wrist in Chicago's 10-6 victory. Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman belted a two-run homer in his first start since jamming his thumb.
Alex Rios has experienced the good and the bad through the first two games of the series. The White Sox outfielder was pulled from Friday’s game for not running out a ground ball, but made amends with a game-changing grand slam Saturday. Left-hander Jose Quintana will get the start for Chicago.
TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, Fox Sports South (Atlanta), WGN (Chicago)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves LH Mike Minor (9-4, 3.02 ERA) vs. White Sox LH Jose Quintana (4-2, 3.71).
Minor ended a five-start winless streak with seven strong innings July 13 against Cincinnati, allowing two runs on six hits with seven strikeouts. The 25-year-old continues to evolve into one of the better left-handers in the National League, going 15-8 with a 2.70 ERA in his past 32 starts. He is 6-1 with a 2.50 ERA on the road this season.
Quintana, who is 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA in July, has struck out 23 in 21 innings - including 11 against Baltimore on July 4. The left-hander has surrendered three earned runs or less six times in his past seven starts, but has just one victory in that span. The Braves may look to jump on the first pitch: opponents are hitting .370 on Quintana’s first offering with four homers and a 1.037 OPS.
WALK-OFFS
1. Chicago 1B Paul Konerko, who has been out since July 3 with a lower back strain, could return to the lineup Monday.
2. Atlanta RF Jason Heyward plans to start Sunday after missing the past five games with a strained hamstring.
3. The White Sox have played 73 games decided by three runs or fewer.