White Sox at Rays
The Chicago White Sox returned from a day off with an unexpected power surge while the Tampa Bay Rays have been on the receiving end of many offensive explosions of late. The White Sox aim to answer a disastrous five-game losing skid with their second straight win on Wednesday when they visit the reeling Rays, who have been outscored 32-9 during their four-game slide.
Chicago was blitzed to the tune of 49-18 during its skid before Todd Frazier homered for the second straight contest and fourth in his last eight in Tuesday's 4-2 triumph over Tampa Bay. Yolmer Sanchez and Avisail Garcia also went deep to highlight their two-hit performances, with the former going 6-for-13 with three runs scored during his four-game hitting streak while the latter is also 6-for-13 in his last three contests. Tampa Bay's Kevin Kiermaier recorded his third three-hit performance in the last eight games to account for half of his team's total on Tuesday, although the two-time Gold Glove recipient had issues reading Sanchez's fly ball in the first inning. Logan Morrison continues to struggle at the plate for the Rays, as his 0-for-5 performance with three strikeouts in the opener dropped him to 3-for-23 with eight punchouts in his last six contests.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, CSN Chicago, FSN Sun (Tampa Bay)
PITCHING MATCHUP: White Sox RH Mike Pelfrey (2-4, 3.86 ERA) vs. Rays RH Jacob Faria (NR)
Pelfrey was unable to win his third straight start last Wednesday despite scattering two hits over five scoreless innings against Boston. The 33-year-old has posted a 1.13 ERA during his last three outings, allowing two earned runs and striking out 15 in 16 innings. Pelfrey owns an 0-1 career mark with a 4.43 ERA in four starts versus Tampa Bay and has permitted the Rays to bat .304 against him.
Faria, who was recalled from Triple-A Durham on Tuesday, was understandably excited when asked about his feelings ahead of his major-league debut. "It's the one thing I've been working for since I was 6. I don't think there's anything right now that trumps this moment for me," said the 23-year-old Faria, who posted a 6-1 mark with a 3.07 ERA in 11 starts with the Bulls. Tampa Bay pushed back the start of fellow right-hander Jake Odorizzi to Thursday in favor of Faria, who leads the International League with 84 strikeouts in just 58 2/3 innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Tampa Bay DH-OF Corey Dickerson is 1-for-9 on the heels of hitting safely in nine straight contests and 15 of his previous 16.
2. Chicago SS Tim Anderson is 8-for-25 with five RBIs during a six-game hitting streak.
3. Rays RF Steven Souza Jr. is 1-for-13 with six strikeouts in June.