Atlanta @ Chicago preview
Guaranteed Rate Field
Last Meeting ( Jun 22, 2010 ) Atlanta 6, Chi. White Sox 9
Mark Buehrle has already struggled through some miserable stretches this season, but none have come in interleague play.
National League teams have yet to figure out Buehrle. He is 3-0 with an 0.82 ERA in interleague games this season and 10-1 with a 1.77 ERA against the NL since the start of 2007.
The Atlanta Braves, owners of the best record in the NL and sitting in first place in the East Division, should provide a test for Buehrle, who has just win over an American League opponent since April 11.
Chicago’s offense has slumped most of the season but is slowly beginning to come to life. The White Sox pounded out a season-high 16 hits, including a pair of hits and another homer from Carlos Quentin, in their 9-6 win over Atlanta on Tuesday.
Quentin is on a 10-for-33 streak, which may not sound like much, but he was batting under .200 on May 19. He has three doubles, two homers and seven RBIs during that stretch to raise his average to .221.
The White Sox have overcome their slow start and a messy feud earlier this month between manager Ozzie Guillen and general manager Ken Williams to win seven straight and 11 of their last 12.
In fact, the feud may have fueled the winning streak, since the focus shifted away from the performance on the field to management for a few days.
Now the White Sox are in third place, just 4 ½ games behind the AL Central Division-leading Minnesota Twins. They got to one of the Braves’ aces, Tommy Hanson, on Tuesday and will take a crack at Tim Hudson on Wednesday.
In his first full season back from arm surgery, Hudson has yet to allow more than three runs in a start this season. He has lost once since April 15 and has averaged seven innings per start this month.
But Hudson, who used to dominate the American League while pitching for the Oakland Athletics, has struggled miserably in interleague play since being traded to Atlanta prior to the 2005 season. Hudson is 2-12 with a 6.34 ERA against AL foes and even worse on the road: 0-7 with a 7.12 ERA in eight starts.
Tuesday's loss snapped Atlanta’s five-game winning streak. Now the Braves, who lead the New York Mets by 1 ½ games, need a victory today to avoid losing their first series since dropping two of three to the Washington Nationals on May 4-6.