White Sox at Athletics
Right-hander Mike Pelfrey has made five career starts against the Oakland Athletics and the results have not been pretty, posting five losses while pitching to a bloated 7.56 ERA. Pelfrey will look to end that streak when he takes the mound for the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday afternoon in the finale of a three-game series at Oakland.
The Athletics ended a streak of their own on Tuesday, halting a six-game slide on a walk-off homer by rookie Franklin Barreto in the bottom of the ninth inning. Yonder Alonso was mired in a 16-game homerless drought before going deep twice to push his season total to 19 - more than double his previous career high. Fellow Cuban Jose Abreu of the White Sox homered for the third time in five games and has seven RBIs during that span. Teammate Melky Cabrera also homered Tuesday while registering a sixth multiple-hit game in his last nine.
TV: 3:35 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), NBCSN California (Oakland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: White Sox RH Mike Pelfrey (3-6, 4.13 ERA) vs. Athletics RH Sonny Gray (3-4, 4.09)
Pelfrey labored through five innings in a no-decision versus Texas last time out, giving up five runs on eight hits and surrendering a pair of homers for the second straight start. He gave up three runs on four hits over 4 2/3 innings in a loss to Oakland in his previous turn and has one win in his last seven outings. Khris Davis (5-for-8) and Rajai Davis (5-for-11) have tormented Pelfrey.
Gray is coming off one of his best performances but wound up taking a hard-luck loss after permitting only one run on two hits over a season-high eight innings against Atlanta. Gray also was superb in his previous outing, beating the White Sox in Chicago with seven strong innings of two-run ball (one earned). Cabrera and fellow outfielder Avisail Garcia are a combined 3-for-19 against Gray.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cabrera is 10-for-22 with two homers, seven RBIs and seven runs scored during a five-game hitting streak.
2. Barreto broke out of a 2-for-24 slump with a homer and triple - his first extra-base hits since his season debut on June 24.
3. Abreu has hit safely in six straight games and nine of 10.