Chicago @ Texas preview
Globe Life Field
Last Meeting ( Sep 18, 2021 ) Chi. White Sox 1, Texas 2
Eight runs one night, three hits the next.
The Chicago White Sox have worked through offensive inconsistency in the first two games of their road weekend series against the Texas Rangers, and for much of the season.
On Sunday, Chicago will try to get back on track after a 2-1 loss to the Rangers on Saturday. That game followed Chicago's 8-0 victory Friday.
The White Sox (84-64) have dropped three of their past four as their magic number to clinch the American League Central remains at five games over the second-place Cleveland Indians.
"It's important that we go out ready and prepared to play good, clean baseball and ready and prepared to win every single night," White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito said. "That's pretty much been our mentality all year. But on this home stretch at the same time giving guys rest they need and stuff like that going into postseason, but at the same time taking every single game very seriously and playing to win every single night. That's hugely important."
Giolito (9-9, 3.77 ERA) will pitch for the White Sox on Sunday in his second start since returning from the 10-day injured list with a hamstring issue.
Giolito yielded three runs on three hits in four innings Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels in his return. He is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in one previous start (six innings) against the Rangers.
Texas (55-93) is set to counter with veteran right-hander Jordan Lyles (9-11, 5.20 ERA), who recently reached 10 years of major-league service time, a feat for which the Rangers feted him following the team's loss on Friday.
The team and staff commemorated Lyles' longevity during a clubhouse ceremony.
"It kind of caught me off guard, and I was a lot more emotional than I thought I was going to be," Lyles said. "I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what was coming out. I kind of blacked out. But 10 years is special. It started to set in (Friday) night when everyone took time out of their day after the game to just celebrate me and that accomplishment. It's really amazing."
Rangers manager Chris Woodward lauds Lyles' leadership and hopes his work ethic sets an example for a young pitching staff.
"There's a lot of ups and downs, obviously, like in any career, but I really appreciate his humility," Woodward said. "It's an amazing accomplishment to get to 10 years."
Lyles, 30, is 1-1 with a 3.75 ERA in four career appearances against the White Sox, including two starts. He has shined in two starts this month, going 2-0 with an ERA of 0.64, with one earned run allowed in 14 innings.
White Sox manager Tony La Russa is expected to return to the dugout Sunday after serving a one-game suspension Saturday. La Russa was disciplined following an incident Thursday in which it was ruled that Chicago reliever Mike Wright intentionally hit the Angels' Shohei Ohtani. Wright was suspended for three games but is available to pitch pending his appeal.
Bench coach Miguel Cairo served as Chicago's manager on Saturday.
--Field Level Media