Chicago @ Los Angeles preview
Angel Stadium
Last Meeting ( Sep 24, 2010 ) Chi. White Sox 2, LA Angels 1
The best pitching performance of John Danks’ career came earlier this season against the Los Angeles Angels. The left-hander would like to match that effort on Saturday night.
Danks tossed a two-hitter in a 1-0 victory over the Angels in July that stands as his only career shutout. He did not issue a walk in a performance that was so smooth that the game lasted just 1 hour and 50 minutes.
Danks (13-11) can also set a new personal-best for victories in a season if he can pitch the Chicago White Sox past the Angels in the second contest of the three-game series. Chicago won Friday’s opening game, 2-1, on Alex Rios’ ninth-inning single.
In the July start against Los Angeles, Danks took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and struck out seven while throwing his second career complete game.
Danks also pitched well against the Angels in May, but suffered the loss despite allowing just three hits over 7 2/3 innings.
Wins have been hard to come by for Danks of late, as he has won just two of his last 10 starts.
Danks, who has a 3.80 ERA, will be matched up against Angels left-hander Scott Kazmir.
Kazmir was roughed up by the White Sox back in early July when he gave up seven runs in 6 1/3 innings. Alexei Ramirez, Carlos Quentin and Dayan Viciedo all belted homers off Kazmir.
Kazmir defeated the Tampa Bay Rays, his former club, in his most-recent outing when he gave up one run and six hits in five innings. It was his first victory since Aug. 7 and snapped a personal five-game losing streak.
The Angels have been miffed by Kazmir’s season-long troubles. The former All-Star has an unsightly 5.84 ERA to go along with a substandard 9-14 record.
He has struggled at Angel Stadium, going just 2-7 with a 5.81 ERA.
White Sox slugger Paul Konerko is always glad to see Kazmir on the mound. Konerko has a .478 career average with two homers in 23 at-bats against Kazmir.
Konerko hit his 38th homer of the season in Friday’s game and is closing in on the third 40-homer campaign of his career. He hit a career-best 41 homers in 2004 and belted 40 in 2005.
Konerko also has a chance at a career-high batting average. He is hitting .314, one point higher than his 2006 high-water mark. Konerko has 106 RBIs, the fifth time he has topped 100.
Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick went 3-for-4 on Friday for his fourth multiple-hit game in his last seven contests. Kendrick is batting .407 (11-for-27) during that span.