White Sox at Pirates
The Chicago White Sox have dropped 27 of their first 37 games with much more losing expected on the horizon during a rebuilding season, but there are some lights at the end of the tunnel with Matt Davidson perhaps the brightest. The 27-year-old designated hitter tries to homer in his third straight contest when Chicago begins a two-game series Tuesday against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
"It's fun when you see everyone on the team contributing and playing how we think we can play,'' Davidson told reporters after belting his team-leading 11th home run in Sunday's 5-3 victory over the Cubs - the White Sox's second win in their last 13 games. "It's pretty cool. Obviously, we come here to win every day, and after the last couple of losses we had, it's a good win." The Pirates are coming off a 5-0 loss to San Francisco on Sunday, snapping a five-game winning streak that included a pair of victories over the White Sox. Pittsburgh (23-17) is also supposed to be in rebuilding mode but finds itself in a four-team scrimmage with Milwaukee, St. Louis and the Cubs for the National League Central lead. The Pirates' Trevor Williams opposes Reynaldo Lopez in a rematch from Wednesday, when neither earned a decision as the Pirates scored four times in the ninth to win 6-5 and cap a sweep of the two-game set in Chicago.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, NBCS Chicago, AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh
PITCHING MATCHUP: White Sox RH Reynaldo Lopez (0-2, 2.44 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Trevor Williams (4-2, 3.13)
Lopez pitched a career-high 7 1/3 innings Wednesday, allowing two runs (solo homers to Jordy Mercer and Gregory Polanco), three hits and two walks with six strikeouts. The 24-year-old Dominican has yielded more than two earned runs only once in seven starts with a 1.13 WHIP and .198 batting average against this season. Lopez is 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA in two games (one start) versus Pittsburgh.
Williams permitted four runs, seven hits and two walks while striking out three in five innings Wednesday, marking the second straight outing and third time in eight starts this season he didn't reach the sixth frame. The 26-year-old Californian, who was facing Chicago for the first time, allowed two-run homers to Tim Anderson and rookie Daniel Palka. Williams, whose ERA went up .50 after his last start, boasts a 1.17 WHIP and .213 batting average against.
WALK-OFFS
1. Pirates LF Corey Dickerson (club bests of .319 average among qualified batters, 27 RBIs) went 0-for-4 on Wednesday, kicking off a 2-for-12 stretch after going 7-for-10 with four RBIs in his previous two games.
2. Chicago owned the second-worst ERA in baseball at 5.35 through Sunday's games, including a major-league worst 5.78 among starters.
3. Pittsburgh's Francisco Cervelli (.305, six home runs, 24 RBIs) batted leadoff Sunday, becoming the first catcher in franchise history since Jason Kendall to hit first since Oct. 3, 2004.