Tigers at White Sox
The Chicago White Sox can reach the .500 mark on Thursday afternoon as they attempt to complete a three-game sweep of the visiting Detroit Tigers. Chicago has won five of its last six contests after sweeping the first of three doubleheaders this season between the American League Central rivals.
James McCann, Yolmer Sanchez and Ryan Cordell each recorded two hits and two RBIs while Dylan Cease gave up three runs over five innings in his major-league debut to notch the win in Chicago's 7-5 triumph in Wednesday's opener. McCann has hit safely in seven of his last eight games and notched at least one RBI in five of his last six while Cordell and Yoan Moncada both homered twice and drove in three runs in the nightcap before Jose Abreu belted a three-run shot with two outs in the 12th inning to give the White Sox a 9-6 victory. Detroit squandered a 5-1 lead in the second game of the twinbill and went on to suffer its 11th loss in 12 contests and 22nd in 27 outings. Nicholas Castellanos extended his hitting streak to nine games by going 4-for-6 with a homer and three RBIs in the nightcap while Jeimer Candelario homered in the opener to increase his run to six games before producing an 0-for-2 effort in the second game for the Tigers, who lost JaCoby Jones to back spasms in the first contest.
TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, NBCS Chicago
PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers LH Matthew Boyd (5-6 3.72 ERA) vs. White Sox RH Reynaldo Lopez (4-7, 6.12)
Boyd, who originally was slated to start the series opener on Tuesday before it was rained out, is 0-2 in his last five turns after yielding four runs and five hits - three homers - over seven innings in a loss to Texas on June 26. It was the second straight outing in which the 28-year-old served up three blasts but fifth time in 17 starts this year he worked seven frames. Boyd, who posted his third double-digit strikeout performance of 2019 - and first since beginning the campaign with a pair - by fanning 11 Rangers, fell to 2-5 with a 4.30 ERA in 11 career turns against the White Sox when he lost at Chicago on April 28 despite allowing only two runs and five hits in six innings.
Lopez, who also was scheduled to start on Tuesday, is coming off a no-decision at Boston on June 26 in which he gave up three runs and nine hits over six innings. The 25-year-old Dominican is 3-3 in nine starts at home this season but sports a 5.75 ERA and has surrendered five runs in each of his last two turns at Guaranteed Rate Field. Lopez is 2-2 with a 2.86 ERA in nine career outings against the Tigers after splitting a pair of starts earlier this year - with the victory coming opposite Boyd on April 28, when he allowed an unearned run and two hits while registering a career-high 14 strikeouts in six frames.
WALK-OFFS
1. The White Sox released 1B Yonder Alonso, who batted .178 with seven home runs and 27 RBIs in 67 games after belting 23 homers and driving in a career-high 83 runs with Cleveland last season.
2. Detroit designated Jose Manuel Fernandez for assignment and purchased the contract of fellow LHP Tyler Alexander, who allowed two runs over five innings in his major-league debut on Wednesday, from Triple-A Toledo.
3. Moncada, whose homer in Wednesday's nightcap came in the 10th inning with Chicago trailing by a run and made him the 10th player in franchise history to go deep from both sides of the plate in the same game, has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 contests.