White Sox at Angels
James McCann and the Chicago White Sox each had dismal starts to the second half of the season, but the All-Star catcher and his team are starting to come alive this month. After posting a series win over American League West-leading Houston, the White Sox kick off a seven-game road trip with the first of four at the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night.
McCann followed his All-Star Game appearance by going 8-for-60 the rest of July, but he has multiple hits in five of his last eight games, including a tiebreaking grand slam in Wednesday's 13-9 win over the Astros. "We competed at a high level," said outfielder Eloy Jimenez, who became the 11th rookie in franchise history to reach 20 homers in a season as Chicago won for the seventh time in 11 games. The Angels had lost 14 of 18 before averting a three-game sweep with a 7-4 victory over Pittsburgh as Albert Pujols drove in three runs and boosted his career hit total to 3,168 -- the most of any foreign-born player in league history. Mike Trout has cooled off since hitting five homers during a nine-game hitting streak, going 0-for-11 in his last four contests after striking out three times Wednesday.
TV: 10:07 p.m. ET, NBCS Chicago, FS West (Los Angeles)
PITCHING MATCHUP: White Sox RH Reynaldo López (7-9, 5.16 ERA) vs. Angels LH Andrew Heaney (1-3, 4.89)
Lopez went into the All-Star break with a 4-8 record and 6.34 ERA but he has turned things around by winning three of four decisions and posting a 2.13 ERA in his last six starts. The 25-year-old Dominican continued the stellar stretch by winning his second straight start last time out, blanking Oakland on six hits over six innings. Lopez, who has a 3.00 ERA in two starts versus the Angels, has allowed one homer in his last six outings after yielding 23 in his first 18 turns.
In his first start since missing nearly a month because of inflammation in his throwing shoulder, Heaney pitched 3 2/3 innings in a no-decision at Boston, giving up one run and three hits while striking out four. He has struggled to find consistency, giving up two runs or fewer in six of his 10 starts while allowing five runs in three others. Heaney is 1-0 with a 1.45 ERA against the White Sox after posting 12 strikeouts in seven scoreless innings against them last season.
WALK-OFFS
1. White Sox 1B Jose Abreu is batting .368 in 14 games in August.
2. Angels DH Shohei Ohtani is 10-for-23 during a five-game hitting streak.
3. White Sox OF-INF Leury Garcia (finger) sat out the last four games but was available off the bench Wednesday.