The Toronto Blue Jays will gun for their fifth consecutive win Thursday night when they visit the Chicago White Sox. It is the first of a four-game series. Both teams are hovering around the middle of their divisions and will attempt to use this series as a chance to move up.
The MLB lines list the White Sox as favorites at -180 and the Blue Jays at +160 with an over/under of 8.5.
The Chicago White Sox (12-16, 8-7 home) have had issues all year with their starting pitching. Their rotation has a collective 5.12 ERA which is right near the bottom of the AL. They are also dead last in the league with a .199 batting average with runners in scoring position.
On the other hand, Chicago is playing very well at home lately. They have won five of their last six home games and are coming off of a dominant 9-2 win over Kansas City on Wednesday night.
The Toronto Blue Jays shouldn’t be intimidated by the stellar home play of the White Sox. The Blue Jays are a strong 9-3 on the road this season (16-13 away). They are coming off of a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Indians which culminated in a 5-4 win Wednesday night that came courtesy of three runs scored with one out left in the ninth inning.
John Danks (3-0, 1.85 ERA) has been the sole bright spot for the White Sox rotation this year. He has yet to lose a game this season and his 1.85 ERA is good enough for fourth best in the AL. His best start of the season came against Toronto earlier in the season, in which he allowed one run and two hits in seven innings. He is 1-2 with a 5.03 ERA in four starts against the Blue Jays.
Dana Eveland (2-1, 4.76 ERA) will take the mound for Toronto. The right hander began the season well, starting the season with two wins in his first two starts and giving up 5 runs over his first three. He has struggled as of late, however, giving up 11 runs in his last two starts. This is his second start against the White Sox this season. He gave up two runs in six innings of a 7-3 win on April 15. He is 1-1 with a 4.22 ERA against the White Sox.
