Chicago @ Cleveland preview
Progressive Field
Last Meeting ( Jun 6, 2010 ) Cleveland 7, Chi. White Sox 8
The Chicago White Sox begin their longest remaining road trip of the season on Monday. They’re hoping to have a nice welcome gift waiting for them in Cleveland.
Slugger Manny Ramirez is expected to join the White Sox on Monday, according to multiple reports, when they begin a critical 10-game road trip with a stop against the woeful Indians.
The fading White Sox need a spark, and they’re hoping the aging Ramirez can provide it. The 38-year-old Ramirez is batting .311 with just eight homers and 40 RBIs in 66 games this season for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who recently placed him on waivers.
Ramirez was awarded to the White Sox last week and have until Tuesday afternoon to work out a deal with the Dodgers. He can be traded to Chicago to help offset some of his remaining salary or he can just be awarded outright to the White Sox.
Chicago made a similar deal last year when it absorbed Alex Rios’ mammoth contract after he was placed on waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays. Ramirez is earning $20 million this year, but $15 million of that is deferred over the next three years.
The White Sox begin this trip 4 1/2 games behind the first-place Minnesota Twins after losing nine of 14 and 13 of their last 20 games.
Ramirez has not started in any of Los Angeles’ last four games, likely to guard against an injury that would hinder a potential deal. The outfielder entered Sunday as a pinch hitter and was promptly ejected for arguing a called strike.
The moody slugger carried the Dodgers to a division title in 2008 when he was acquired from the Boston Red Sox in a midseason trade. He batted .396 with 17 homers in just 53 games with Los Angeles two years ago, but asking him to have that sort of rebirth again in Chicago may be a bit too much.
Ramirez served a 50-game suspension for using performance enhancing drugs last year and this season has made three trips to the disabled list. He will likely serve as the designated hitter in Chicago.
The White Sox have inexplicably lost eight of their 12 meetings against the Indians, the worst team in the Central Division.
Mark Buehrle (12-10, 3.93 ERA) will face Cleveland for the fifth time this season, more than he’s faced any other team this season. He is 1-1 in four starts with a 4.42 ERA.
Buehrle allowed six runs in three innings in his last start against the Indians on June 6.
Cleveland will counter with Mitch Talbot (8-11, 4.44 ERA), who is looking for his first victory since June 27.
The right-hander has dropped five decisions in eight outings - including Wednesday's game against the Oakland Athletics. Talbot permitted six runs and six hits in a 6-1 loss.