Toronto @ Chicago preview
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Last Meeting ( Jul 4, 2023 ) Toronto 4, Chi. White Sox 3
Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. encountered a roadblock in his bid to continue a midseason resurgence.
Good thing it merely was inclement weather.
With Wednesday's scheduled game between the host Chicago White Sox and Blue Jays rained out, the teams are set to play a straight doubleheader starting Thursday afternoon.
Toronto will aim to stay perfect against Chicago this season while Guerrero, the Jays' All-Star first baseman, tries to stay hot. He keyed Tuesday's 4-3 win in the season opener with a go-ahead, two-run home run to the opposite field in the eighth inning.
"For me, all at-bats are very important, but especially late in the game," Guerrero said through a team interpreter. "I kind of mentally prepare myself even more, just in case a big moment like (Tuesday) happens. That's what I do.
"Thank God things are going well for me, and I hope it continues that way."
Guerrero and Whit Merrifield both contributed two hits and two RBIs as the Blue Jays snapped a three-game losing streak.
Toronto has outscored Chicago 24-5 while winning each of the first four meetings between the teams.
White Sox right-hander Lance Lynn, who was slated to oppose fellow righty Jose Berrios on Wednesday night, instead will face him in the opener of Thursday's twin bill.
Lynn (5-8, 6.47 ERA) will try to avoid a second loss to the Blue Jays this season. He took the loss in an April 24 game at Rogers Centre in Toronto, spacing four runs and five hits in five innings with three walks and four strikeouts.
In 11 career appearances against Toronto, including 10 starts, Lynn is 2-4 with a 4.58 ERA.
Berrios (8-6, 3.74) defeated Chicago the day after his teammates roughed up Lynn. Berrios pitched seven shutout innings on April 25 while allowing four hits with one walk and nine strikeouts.
Berrios is 13-6 with a 3.26 ERA in 23 career starts against Chicago, with 145 strikeouts in 140 2/3 innings.
Chicago has not yet named a starter for Game 2. Toronto will start lefty Yusei Kikuchi, who defeated the White Sox on April 26 behind 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball with four hits, one walk and eight strikeouts.
Kikuchi (7-3, 4.08) is eager to rediscover his June form -- he pitched to a 2.28 ERA in five starts -- after struggling through Saturday's home loss to Boston. The Red Sox reached Kikuchi for five runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Chicago has lost three of four as it rounds out its final homestand before the All-Star break.
The White Sox are 13 games below .500 yet just 7 1/2 games behind first-place Minnesota in the American League Central, creating a conundrum for the team as the Aug. 1 trade deadline looms.
"I'm not going to put a marker in the sand and say, 'We need to rattle off 10 out of 14 or we're doing this,' " White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said. "At the same time, we can see the calendar, we can see the games back. You want to have a reason to believe that this thing's going to get right between now and Aug. 1."
--Field Level Media