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White Sox Close MLB Odds Series At Detroit Tigers
Like sand through an hourglass, so are losses to division rivals in September.
Time is quickly running out for the Chicago White Sox who close their series in Detroit against the Tigers on Sunday night (8:00 p.m. ET). ESPN's crew will be on hand to televise the contest from Comerica Park that pits Chicago southpaw Mark Buehrle against Max Scherzer of the Tigers.
Detroit grabbed the series opener Friday behind more stellar pitching from Justin Verlander who was laying -200 and higher on the Don Best odds screen. The 8-1 triumph maintained the Tigers' 5.5-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central and dropped the White Sox 6.5-games back in third.
Saturday's second game of the series, still in progress, was just about a pick 'em on the betting lines, Gavin Floyd and Chicago slight favorites at most shops. The White Sox needed that game and Sunday's to make any headway in the division standings this weekend. Losing two of three, or worse yet, getting swept, would make things awfully tough on Chicago to make up at least 6.5-games with just 25 left on the 2011 slate.
Buehrle (17-9, 3.05) and Scherzer (17-11, 4.52) share several similarities heading into Sunday night's mound battle. Each has pitched his team to 17 victories this campaign, Buehrle doing it in two fewer starts. Both hurlers hail from the same general area, Scherzer from St. Louis proper and Buehrle from nearby St. Charles, MO. And they will be making their fourth starts of the season against the opposing lineups.
That's about where the connections end.
The veteran Buehrle has overcome a very bad April to become one of the most consistent arms in the American League. He's allowed more than three earned runs in just one assignment since the beginning of May, Chicago going a very healthy 15-5 in the 20-start span. Buehrle's ERA during that period is a stingy 2.47.
Two of his three trips to the hill against Detroit have gone into the win column, both of those starts at US Cellular Field in Chicago. His lone start here in Detroit was a disaster (5 2/3 IP, 6 ER), an outing that came during that awful month of April.
Scherzer enjoyed April with the Tigers 5-1 in his six games. But he's been anything but consistent in 2011 and prone to at least one meltdown a month all season.
He's coming off one such implosion this past Monday at home when the Royals pounded three homers and scored seven times before chasing Scherzer in the fourth. Detroit fell 9-5 as hefty 170 chalk.
The irony is Scherzer has been very good and very consistent against the Pale Hose in three 2011 starts. His 1.64 ERA in those games has only translated into one win, however,with the Tigers scoring just four runs combined to back the three efforts.
Eric Cooper will work the plate and brings a 15-11-2 edge to the 'over' into the game, 12-6 to the high side when the total is 8½ or less.
A 60 percent chance of thunderstorms during the day gives way to what should just be cloudy skies and temps in the 60s with a light win blowing out to left-center at game time.
The Tigers head to Cleveland following this game for a Labor Day afternoon affair that opens a 3-game set vs. the Indians. Chicago continues its road trip with a matinee contest Monday in Minnesota to begin a 4-game series.
Like sand through an hourglass, so are losses to division rivals in September.
Time is quickly running out for the Chicago White Sox who close their series in Detroit against the Tigers on Sunday night (8:00 p.m. ET). ESPN's crew will be on hand to televise the contest from Comerica Park that pits Chicago southpaw Mark Buehrle against Max Scherzer of the Tigers.
Detroit grabbed the series opener Friday behind more stellar pitching from Justin Verlander who was laying -200 and higher on the Don Best odds screen. The 8-1 triumph maintained the Tigers' 5.5-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central and dropped the White Sox 6.5-games back in third.
Saturday's second game of the series, still in progress, was just about a pick 'em on the betting lines, Gavin Floyd and Chicago slight favorites at most shops. The White Sox needed that game and Sunday's to make any headway in the division standings this weekend. Losing two of three, or worse yet, getting swept, would make things awfully tough on Chicago to make up at least 6.5-games with just 25 left on the 2011 slate.
Buehrle (17-9, 3.05) and Scherzer (17-11, 4.52) share several similarities heading into Sunday night's mound battle. Each has pitched his team to 17 victories this campaign, Buehrle doing it in two fewer starts. Both hurlers hail from the same general area, Scherzer from St. Louis proper and Buehrle from nearby St. Charles, MO. And they will be making their fourth starts of the season against the opposing lineups.
That's about where the connections end.
The veteran Buehrle has overcome a very bad April to become one of the most consistent arms in the American League. He's allowed more than three earned runs in just one assignment since the beginning of May, Chicago going a very healthy 15-5 in the 20-start span. Buehrle's ERA during that period is a stingy 2.47.
Two of his three trips to the hill against Detroit have gone into the win column, both of those starts at US Cellular Field in Chicago. His lone start here in Detroit was a disaster (5 2/3 IP, 6 ER), an outing that came during that awful month of April.
Scherzer enjoyed April with the Tigers 5-1 in his six games. But he's been anything but consistent in 2011 and prone to at least one meltdown a month all season.
He's coming off one such implosion this past Monday at home when the Royals pounded three homers and scored seven times before chasing Scherzer in the fourth. Detroit fell 9-5 as hefty 170 chalk.
The irony is Scherzer has been very good and very consistent against the Pale Hose in three 2011 starts. His 1.64 ERA in those games has only translated into one win, however,with the Tigers scoring just four runs combined to back the three efforts.
Eric Cooper will work the plate and brings a 15-11-2 edge to the 'over' into the game, 12-6 to the high side when the total is 8½ or less.
A 60 percent chance of thunderstorms during the day gives way to what should just be cloudy skies and temps in the 60s with a light win blowing out to left-center at game time.
The Tigers head to Cleveland following this game for a Labor Day afternoon affair that opens a 3-game set vs. the Indians. Chicago continues its road trip with a matinee contest Monday in Minnesota to begin a 4-game series.
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