Game Thread: Giants at White Sox

Could it be a pitchers’ duel?

Side note: When we went on vacation across the sea on June 4, the White Sox had a .311 winning percentage. When we got back at midnight last night, it had soared to .317, which just goes to show how right Chris Getz and Will Venable are when they say things are really looking up.

With two teams that have struggled offensively, one of them in recent weeks and the other in recent decades, and two starters with ERAs of less than 3.00, a pitchers’ duel would seem to be the logical outcome — though in baseball that usually means the final score will be 11-9.

This afternoon will be another chance for Adrian Houser to strut his stuff for contending teams looking for starting pitching, which means pretty much all of them. Houser never seems to get mentioned in trade speculation despite his superb 2.27 ERA, but he’s a free agent next year: At this point, he may be the most valuable chip the Sox have. Houser will face lefty Robbie Ray, who has an 8-2 record and 2.83 ERA and has struck out 104 in 92 innings.

Ray will face a Sox lineup that remains without Luis Robert Jr. and his achy hammie despite the fact Robert has a very healthy .870 OPS vs. southpaws (as opposed to a near-comatose .496 OPS vs. righties). Mike Tauchman, the team’s best hitter, also has a fussy hammie and will also sit out the start — presumably for platoon reasons, though he has a 1.139 OPS against fellow lefties.

Houser will face a San Francisco lineup that he mostly has never seen before:

C. Koss 3B
R. Devers DH
H. Ramos LF
D. Smith 1B
W. Adames SS
M. Yastrzemski RF
J. Lee CF
A. Knizner C
B. Wisely 2B

First pitch is scheduled for 3:10 p.m., with the temp 81° under mostly sunny skies and moderate wind in from left. Usual broadcast suspects.

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