Gamethread: Nationals at White Sox

South Siders looking for their second straight series victory

This afternoon, we have the rubber match showdown between the Chicago White Sox and Washington Nationals. Can the Good Guys win their second straight series, and can Garrett Crochet get his third consecutive win? It sure would be an excellent way to head into the offday before traveling to the Bronx to face the best team in the American League this weekend.

We also have a little bit of a roster update.

Dominic Fletcher hasn’t been great in Charlotte, slashing only .238/.319/.405 with a .724 OPS. So, the DFA of Ortega for Fletcher seems to be a net neutral. Corey Julks made his major league debut last season with the Astros and hit .245/.297/.352 with a .649 OPS. The outfielder is 28 years old, and Houston drafted him in Round 8 (No. 241) of the 2017 MLB Draft.

Crochet has been absolutely filthy over his last two starts. During that time, he’s only given up one run on eight hits with 17 strikeouts and NO walks over 12 innings. Right now, he’s riding a 34.2% K-rate, tops in all of baseball. With the departure of Dylan Cease, Crochet Day is now my favorite game of the week. The Nationals offense hasn’t seen much of the southpaw, either. Hopefully, that plays in Chicago’s favor.

Baseball Savant

The Nats have Patrick Corbin on the bump in this getaway day contest. The lefthander has had a rough season so far, compiling a record of 1-3 with a 5.91 ERA over eight starts. He earned the victory though against the Boston Red Sox in his last outing on May 10, surrendering only one run on seven hits over five innings. Veteran Tommy Pham has had Corbin’s number going 7-for-17, including a home run, so that should be a fun matchup to watch.

Baseball Savant

Here’s how the South Siders line them up today:

And for the visitors:

The first pitch is at 1:10 p.m. CST. You can watch the broadcast on NBCSCH or listen in on ESPN 1000.