Indians at White Sox
Chris Sale recently compared pitching in cold weather to getting punched in the face, but it was his offense that delivered a haymaker in Saturday's comeback victory. The Chicago White Sox hope for similar success on Sunday in what may be another chilly afternoon as they attempt to take the rubber match of their three-game home set with the American League Central-rival Cleveland Indians.
"Pitching in cold weather is like getting punched in the face; you never really get used to it, you just handle it better. It's never fun," Sale told The Chicago Tribune while also crediting the grounds crew for its ability to make U.S. Cellular Field playable on Saturday. Despite working through wind and 34-degree temperatures, Avisail Garcia keyed a five-run, seventh-inning rally with a three-run blast to help Sale notch a victory after surrendering a pair of late homers before his departure. The temperature is expected to be in the low 40s for Jose Quintana in the finale against the Indians, who will be facing their fourth left-handed starter in five games. Cleveland, which has scored seven runs in each of its two wins and a total of five in its two losses, is seeking its first series win of 2016 after splitting a pair with Boston earlier in the week.
TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland), CSN Chicago
PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RH Josh Tomlin (2015: 7-2, 3.02 ERA) vs. White Sox LH Jose Quintana (0-0, 3.18)
Tomlin won his battle with Trevor Bauer for the fifth spot in the rotation largely on the strength of his final spring outing on March 29, when he struck out 10 over six scoreless innings. The 31-year-old Texas Tech product, who yielded two or fewer runs in eight of his 10 turns last year, posted a 57:8 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 65 2/3 innings but surrendered 13 home runs in 2015. Tomlin fared well against the White Sox last season, winning both of his starts while giving up three runs - all on solo homers - and fanning 14.
Quintana's first start of 2016 followed the same script as many others since becoming a member of the White Sox four-plus seasons ago - pitching well enough to win with nothing to show for it. The 27-year-old Colombian allowed two runs on seven hits and struck out seven over 5 2/3 innings Tuesday versus Oakland, but he was left with his league-high 53rd no-decision since 2012 when the bullpen was unable to hold the lead. Quintana has enjoyed better luck versus the Indians, going 5-1 with a 2.58 ERA in 14 appearances (12 starts).
WALK-OFFS
1. Chicago 1B Jose Abreu is hitting .333 with 12 homers and 26 RBIs in 37 career contests against Cleveland after going 2-for-2 with a solo shot on Saturday.
2. Indians SS Francisco Lindor is batting .386 in his career against the White Sox, hitting safely in 10 of his 12 games.
3. Since striking out in all three at-bats in his season debut Tuesday, Cleveland 1B Mike Napoli has homered twice while fanning only once in his last 10 at-bats.