Chicago White Sox vs. Chicago Cubs
4:10 PM Saturday June 12, FOX
Pitching Probables: Mark Buehrle vs. Carlos Silva
A couple of enigmatic teams facing off in the Windy City. Neither is meeting expectations but it is getting harder and harder to understand what those should be. The Pale Hose are getting less than expected production from almost anyone not named Rios or Konerko and their pitching, which used to be so strong only a few years ago has not made up the difference. This team is ranked 25th in the majors in ERA at 4.72 which means they have to out slug the opposition more than this team has been able to do. The only thing keeping them going is that they are in the AL Central where no team is expected to distance themselves too much from the pack. Starter Mark Buehlre is off to a brutal start and is in the middle of an especially rough stretch where he has won only 1 of his last 10 starts. Perhaps inter-league play will be a perfect refresher even though he is ony 4-4 lifetime against the Cubbies.
The Cubs are equally disappointing in their own right, also clinging to the fact that their division affords them the luxury of still being in the hunt despite their mediocrity. Just imagine how this season would feel had they not signed Marlon Byrd and Carlos Silva in the offseason. They are both having career years and Silva, starting today, is trying to push his record to an amazing 9-0. No he is not dominating like Strasburg but he is getting run support and keeping his team in the game. It would make sense that this run of luck should end given his career numbers but you just never know. He has been a much better pitcher at home in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field.
Prediction: This one is a hard one to predict given how inconsistent these teams have been this year. My gut says play against the Cubbies as Carlos Silva can’t really be this good or lucky for much longer Add on to that that the AL usually dominates inter-league play and the Sox are 19-7 in such games of late.
Score Prediction:
White Sox – 8
Cubs – 4
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