White Sox at Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are winners of three straight and five of their last seven, and will try to finish off a three-game sweep when they host the Chicago White Sox in the series finale on Sunday. The Orioles are getting strong starting pitching of late and will welcome back ace Chris Tillman in the finale.
Tillman (shoulder) is set to make his season debut and will have the benefit of an offense clicking up and down the lineup. Baltimore got at least one hit from every starter in Saturday's 6-5 triumph and Manny Machado is getting hot with a home run in that win and five of his eight blasts on the season coming in the last nine games. Machado is just 2-for-10 with a pair of strikeouts and no extra-base hits against White Sox ace Jose Quintana, who will take the mound opposing Tillman on Sunday. Chicago dropped five of its last seven games but started to break out late offensively on Saturday with two runs in the eighth inning on Jose Abreu's blast.
TV: 1:35 p.m. ET, CSN Chicago, MASN (Baltimore)
PITCHING MATCHUP: White Sox LH Jose Quintana (2-4, 4.10 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Chris Tillman (2016: 16-6, 3.77)
Quintana lost his first four starts but dominated with back-to-back wins in the last two. The Colombia native struck out 10 in six innings against Kansas City on April 26 before scattering four hits over eight scoreless innings and striking out seven to beat the Royals again on Tuesday. Quintana is 1-3 with a 3.82 ERA in five career starts against Baltimore.
Tillman made at least 30 starts in each of the last four seasons but dealt with soreness in his right shoulder in spring training and was brought back slowly. The 29-year-old bounced back in 2016 after going 11-11 with a 4.99 ERA in 2015 and is looking to continue a trend in which he decreased his number of home runs allowed in four consecutive campaigns. Tillman lost his only start against Chicago last season and is 3-2 with a 3.51 ERA in six career starts against the White Sox.
WALK-OFFS
1. Orioles 2B Jonathan Schoop (right wrist) sat out Saturday, ending a streak of 190 consecutive starts, and is day-to-day.
2. Abreu is 8-for-18 with three home runs and five RBIs in the last four games.
3. Baltimore placed LHP Zach Britton (forearm) and RHP Gabriel Ynoa (hamstring) on the 10-day disabled list.