The BoSox have run into trouble against the ChiSox in more ways than one — on Friday night, they lost their series opener in a 12-2 bloodbath, and on Saturday, the pitching staff found its groove after the first inning but the White Sox rolled to victory anyway, winning 5-1. The Red Sox need to score some runs to salvage this series, and it had best start now.
When and Where
2:05 p.m. ET (NESN), September 6, 2009
U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago, Ill.
When and Where
Red Sox (78-57, 2nd place in AL East)
White Sox (68-69, 2nd place in AL Central)
Head to Head
Quite simply, the Red Sox' offense has to wake up. No Sox player has notched a multi-hit game yet in this series, and it's not as though Freddy Garcia and Gavin Floyd are Cy Young candidates waiting to happen. If this Boston team is going to compete in October, it needs to perform against league-average pitchers like these. Maybe Sunday afternoon, the Red Sox can turn things around.
Lineups
| Red Sox | White Sox |
||||
| Jacoby Ellsbury, CF | Scott Podsednik, DH | ||||
| Dustin Pedroia, 2B | Jayson Nix, 3B | ||||
| Victor Martinez, 1B | Paul Konerko, 1B | ||||
| Kevin Youkilis, 3B | Jermaine Dye, RF | ||||
| Jason Bay, LF | Carlos Quentin, LF | ||||
| David Ortiz, DH | Alexei Ramirez, SS | ||||
| Mike Lowell, 3B | Chris Getz, 2B | ||||
| J.D. Drew, RF | Alex Rios, CF | ||||
| Alex Gonzalez, SS | Ramon Castro, C |
Pitching Matchup
LHP Jon Lester (11-7, 3.58 ERA) vs. LHP John Danks (12-8, 3.82 ERA)
With Josh Beckett down in the dumps, Lester has stepped up and become the dominant power pitcher on a struggling Red Sox staff. Lester now stands just four K's away from his first season with 200 strikeouts, and his ability to attack the strike zone the past couple months has led not just to K's, but also to deep starts and lots of wins for the Red Sox. Lester is undefeated in eight starts since July 19.
At age 24, Danks has emerged into a standout workhorse on the White Sox' staff, throwing 160 1/3 innings so far this season. He's been going deep into games every time out, including seven innings in a strong start at Minnesota earlier this week, although that ended in a no-decision. Danks hasn't taken a loss since Aug. 6 and he continues to develop into a future ace in Chicago.
Stat Sheet
Red Sox
The Red Sox are 21-18 in day games this season.
Boston has a .349 team on-base percentage, third-best in the AL.
Jon Lester has 196 strikeouts and just 55 walks.
Kevin Youkilis has a .570 slugging percentage, third-best in the AL.
Jason Bay has scored 85 runs, ninth in the AL.
Jacoby Ellsbury has 155 hits, 10th in the AL.
J.D. Drew is hitting .400 so far in September. He has a home run and three singles in 10 at-bats.
Mike Lowell has a .930 OPS in day games this season.
Nick Green has an .886 career OPS against the White Sox in 35 at-bats.
David Ortiz is a .311 career hitter against the Pale Hose. He has 22 home runs and 61 RBIs in 318 at-bats.
Victor Martinez has two home runs in only eight at-bats against John Danks.
Dustin Pedroia is 1-for-7 against Danks with one walk.
White Sox
The White Sox are 17-20 against AL East opponents this season.
Chicago has been caught stealing 37 times in 2009, third-most in the AL.
John Danks is 1-3 in his career against the Red Sox. He has a 5.24 ERA and has walked eight batters in 22 1/3 innings.
A.J. Pierzynski is hitting .317, seventh-best in the AL.
Paul Konerko and Alexei Ramirez each have seven sacrifice flies, tied for seventh in the AL.
Alex Rios is 5-for-14 (.357) in his career against Lester. He has two doubles and two walks.
Scott Podsednik has a .384 career on-base percentage against the Red Sox.
Jermaine Dye is a .231 hitter against Boston, but he has 12 home runs in 294 at-bats.
Black and Blue
Red Sox
Daisuke Matsuzaka went 4 1/3 innings in a rehab start with Pawtucket on Friday. He allowed two runs on four hits and struck out three Syracuse Chiefs.
Jed Lowrie has been on the 15-day DL since Aug. 7 with a left forearm injury. He hopes to return soon.
Miguel Gonzalez has been on the 60-day DL since March 27. He is recovering from surgery on his right elbow.
White Sox
Bartolo Colon has been on the 15-day DL since July 25 with inflammation in his right elbow.
The Sox are uncertain about the return of Jake Peavy, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list on June 9 with a strained tendon in his right ankle.
Chris Getz, who has been on the 15-day DL since Aug. 12 with a strained oblique muscle, was activated this week.
This Date in Red Sox History
In 2005, David Ortiz went deep to right field for a walk-off home run off Scot Shields as the Red Sox beat the Angels 3-2. The blast prompted the team's principal owner, John Henry, to dub Ortiz "the greatest clutch hitter in the history of the Boston Red Sox."
Overheard
"He carved us up. Slider, cutter, fastball. He had everything. [It's] the time of the day when it's hard to see and the way he pitched — he overwhelmed us."
–Red Sox manager Terry Francona on White Sox starter Gavin Floyd. Floyd took a perfect game into the sixth inning against the Red Sox on Saturday.
Press Box
Red Sox
Gavin Floyd was imperfect, but still pretty good.
Tim Wakefield's strong start went to waste.
Michael Bowden is back.
White Sox
What does the future hold for the ChiSox' DH spot?
Here's an update on Gordon Beckham.
The injury bug has steered clear of Chicago's South Side.
MLB
Albert Pujols carried the Cardinals again.
The Giants' Matt Cain outpitched the Brewers' Yovani Gallardo.
Jose Contreras had a good start in Colorado.
Outlook
After two frustrating games in a row at the Cell, the Red Sox need this one. And they had better hope that Jon Lester picks them up on Sunday afternoon, because at the moment, the offense just isn't producing. If Lester runs into early trouble and the Red Sox can't figure out John Danks, that could spell trouble — the Red Sox need to return to their winning ways if they want to stay afloat in the AL wild-card race.
