Chicago @ Seattle preview
T-Mobile Park
Last Meeting ( Jul 19, 2010 ) Chi. White Sox 6, Seattle 1
Chicago White Sox general manager Ken Williams and manager Ozzie Guillen got exactly what they wanted Monday night – a strong pitching performance from rookie Daniel Hudson and an easy 6-1 victory over the wayward Seattle Mariners.
Now, Williams and Guillen will be looking for more - victories and perhaps players.
The White Sox moved 2 1/2 games ahead of the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers in the AL Central.
Chicago will try to bolster its lead Tuesday night when left-hander John Danks (9-7, 3.58 ERA) faces Seattle’s 6-8 right-hander Doug Fister (3-5, 3.50 ERA).
Danks is 40-40 in his career and seeks double-digit victories for the third consecutive season. He is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA in his last three starts against Seattle.
Fister has no decisions and a 1.29 ERA in two starts against the White Sox.
Hudson pitched 6 2/3 innings of five-hit baseball while teammates had 12 hits in bouncing back from a disheartening 7-6 loss to Minnesota on Sunday when the Twins scored four runs in the ninth.
In getting his first major-league win, Hudson enhanced his chances of sticking in the starting rotation and impressed several scouts. Teams could be offering the White Sox a deal to get their top pitching prospect before the July 31 trading deadline, although Williams says the market for the White Sox is limited.
Reports say the Washington Nationals could be willing to deal hulking first baseman Adam Dunn to Chicago with Hudson perhaps part of the deal. The Nationals also want Gordon Beckham, who is on an eight-game hitting streak in which he is batting .571 (16-for-28) with four doubles and eight RBIs.
Another coveted player is right fielder Carlos Quentin, who is batting .423 (11-for-26) with six homers and 15 RBIs in his last eight games. He missed Monday’s contest with a bruised right hand.
While the White Sox could be looking to deal, the Mariners are simply looking to heal.
Russell Branyan, the one guy who could provide some offensive firepower and drove in Seattle’s only run Monday with an RBI double, tweaked his back and left the game in the fifth inning.
This after Branyan bumped into a table in his hotel room in Anaheim and had it fall on his left foot, injuring a toe that caused him to miss the entire four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Branyan said he didn’t so much hurt his back on the RBI double but felt a back spasm even before the game. He will be re-evaluated Tuesday along with catcher Rob Johnson, who had hip spasms and left the game in the eighth inning.
Left fielder Michael Saunders also is still out with a jammed middle finger on his right hand, but could be in the lineup on Tuesday.