The New York Yankees (63-42) and Chicago White Sox (52-54) open up a four-game series Monday night at U.S. Cellular Field. Both teams split an earlier series in the Bronx, as the White Sox won the first two games before the Yankees closed things out with a pair of victories.
New York tallied a 7-3 record in its recent 10-game homestand and come into a new week trailing the Boston Red Sox by two games in the AL East standings. The Yankees won three straight games over the Orioles to close things out in the Bronx, outscoring them by a significant 29-8 margin.
This will be the only trip for the Bronx Bombers to the Windy City to face the White Sox, which may be a good thing, considering they’ve lost five of the last eight meetings at U.S. Cellular Field. New York still holds a commanding 20-10 edge in the last 30 games overall.
C.C. Sabathia (15-5, 2.56 ERA) made a strong case for another Cy Young Award in July, posting a 4-1 record and 0.92 ERA, as opponents were held to a .140 average. He allowed just 18 hits in 39 innings over that time period.
The left-hander holds a dominating 17-4 career record against the White Sox and is unbeaten in his last four opportunities in facing them, posting a 3-0 mark and 3.86 ERA.
Bettors will find that the Yankees are 35-16 in Sabathia’s last 51 road starts, but dropped a 2-1 contest in Tampa Bay just two starts back in his last outing away from Yankee Stadium.
Chicago is 3-3 on its current homestand and dropped a 5-3 contest to Boston Sunday afternoon. The White Sox may have also lost All-Star first baseman Paul Konerko to injury, as he’s listed day-to-day with a calf injury. He’s desperately needed in this series as a career .315 hitter with 20 home runs against the Yankees.
The White Sox split the first four meetings with the Bronx Bombers this year during an April series, but was outscored 17-9.
Jake Peavy (4-4, 5.26 ERA) will be making his 13th appearance (12th start) of the year and will be searching for his first win since June 25. He has dropped three decisions in five starts over that span, but has also allowed just a single home run.
Peavy brings in an even 3-3 mark and 5.35 ERA in seven home outings (six starts)
He is 0-2 with a 3.60 ERA in two career starts against the Yankees, last facing them at old Yankee Stadium on June 18, 2008. He also made his Major League debut on June 22, 2002 versus the storied franchise.
Total players will find that the ‘over’ is 5-1 in the last six meetings in Chicago and 7-1 in Sabathia’s last eight starts versus the AL Central division.