Chicago @ Washington preview
Nationals Park
Last Meeting ( Jun 19, 2010 ) Chi. White Sox 1, Washington 0
Good pitching has clearly been the theme through the opening two games of the Chicago White Sox’s interleague series with the Washington Nationals.
On Friday, both teams got outstanding efforts from their starters, although neither factored into the decision as Gavin Floyd (8 IP, 4 hits, 1 ER, 5 Ks) put up nearly identical numbers to rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg (7 IP, 4 hits, 1 ER, 10 Ks) in an 11-inning affair.
Not to be outdone, Jake Peavy went out on Saturday and one-upped both of them. Peavy, who had his Thursday start pushed back two days because of discomfort in his right shoulder, responded by striking out seven batters in a three-hit shutout to lead Chicago to a 1-0 win.
Both teams have been held in check by the tough pitching, combining for just four runs during the opening two contests.
The pressure now falls on starters Freddy Garcia of the White Sox and John Lannan of the Nationals, who will square-off in Sunday’s rubber match at Nationals Park.
Good pitching has been a key reason for Chicago’s recent hot streak, having won nine of 10 to move within one game of .500 (33-34) for the first time since April 14.
Garcia is riding a hot streak of his own, having won four straight starts and seven of eight outings overall. The 34-year-old is sporting a record of 7-3 with an ERA of 4.94.
During his last four wins, Garcia has allowed only 11 earned runs in 26 2/3 innings and walked just six batters in that span.
As good as Garcia is going, Lannan hopes to steal some of those winning way. The 25-year-old left-hander has just one win during his last 11 starts, getting dealt seven no-decisions in the process.
Lannan doesn’t have much momentum to build off of as his last start was his worst of the campaign. He surrendered seven runs on 10 hits in just 4 1/3 innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday. For the season, he is 2-4 with a 5.45 ERA.
The Nationals have had trouble winning in general of late, having lost six in a row and seven of eight and sit dead last in the National League East at 31-38.
Carlos Quentin, who drove in the lone run for the White Sox in Saturday’s win with a fourth-inning single, has four RBIs in his last four games.