Chicago White Sox (26-31) @ Boston Red Sox (30-25)
Gavin Floyd (5-5, 3.69) @ Tim Wakefield (2-1, 4.14)
1:35 PM EDT | Fenway Park (Boston, MA)
TV: NESN RADIO: WEEI 850, WWZN 1510
INJURY REPORT
Chicago: Mark Teahen, strained oblique (Placed on the 15 day DL May 17th retroactive to May 12th); Tony Pena, right elbow tendinitis (Placed on the 15 day DL May 29th, retroactive to May 28th)
Boston: Franklin Morales, left forearm strain (Placed on the 15 day DL May 29th, retroactive to May 26th); Darnell McDonald, sore left quad (Placed on the 15 day DL May 26th); Daisuke Matsuzaka, sprained elbow (Placed on the 15 day DL May 17th); John Lackey, strained elbow (Placed on the 15 day DL May 16th, retroactive May 12th); Marco Scutaro, strained left oblique (Placed on the 15 day DL May 8th); Felix Doubront, left groin strain (Placed on the 7 day DL May 11)
GAME NOTES
The White Sox have become the bogey team for the Red Sox. The Pale Hose are 12-2 in their last 14 games against the Carmine Hose, and have won six in a row at Fenway Park. With a win today, the White Sox will equal a seven-game win streak at Fenway Park set over a stretch during the 1958 and 1959 seasons. And the White Sox are sending to the mound just the pitcher to accomplish this feat. Gavin Floyd is undefeated against the Red Sox in seven career appearances (one in relief), possessing a 4-0 record overall (35.2 IP, 3.53 ERA) and a 2-0 record at Fenway (18.2 IP, 1.93 ERA). Floyd has given up 8 home runs this season, but has a sterling 1.098 WHIP. David Ortiz and Carl Crawford have each hit 2 career home runs against Floyd, so that may be a glimmer of hope for the Red Sox. Facing the White Sox will be the ageless wonder, Tim Wakefield. Wakes has had quality starts in each of his last two starts and earned the win against the Detroit Tigers on Friday, giving up two runs on only five hits in seven innings of work. However, as with the Red Sox in general, the White Sox are Tim’s bogey team; Wakefield owns a 7-12 record and a 4.93 ERA in 32 appearances (21 starts) against the South Siders. Among today’s White Sox batters against Wakefield, watch out for Omar Vizquel; although his glove is his calling card, Vizquel owns a career .357 batting average (20 for 56, 4 doubles, 7 RBI) against the Red Sox knuckleballer. John Lackey pitched a rehab appearance in Pawtucket last night. He threw 63 pitches and gave up three hits, walked none and struck out four. Lackey surrendered one run on a home run.
Lineups
Red Sox
- Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
- Dustin Pedroia, 2B
- Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
- Kevin Youkilis, 3B
- David Ortiz, DH
- Carl Crawford, LF
- Jed Lowrie, SS
- Josh Reddick, RF
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Chicago
- Juan Pierre, LF
- Alexei Ramirez, SS
- Carlos Quentin, RF
- Paul Konerko, 1B
- Adam Dunn, DH
- Brent Lillibridge, CF
- Omar Vizquel 3B
- Ramon Castro, C
- Gordon Beckham, 2B
Fun Facts
– Tim Wakefield is the only pitcher in Red Sox history to have defeated both the White Sox and the Cubs in the same season (2006). With a win today, Wakefield has a chance to repeat the feat, having defeated the Cubs on May 22.
– According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Red Sox became the fifth team in baseball history to start a season 2-10 or worse and recover to occupy first place at any point in a season, and became the only team to go from 2-10 to first place in fewer than 40 games.
– White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen had a love/hate relationship with knuckleballers during his career. He recently claimed he loved facing knuckleballers such as Wakefield because, “I know it’s going to be an easy 0-4. I didn’t have to think about anything. I knew what’s coming.”
– As a reminder, the Red Sox have switched the starting time for Saturday’s match-up against the Oakland Athetics from 7:10 p.m. to 1:10 p.m. to allow Boston fans to enjoy without conflict the Red Sox game and Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Saturday night between the Boston Bruins and the Vancouver Canucks. Go Bruins!
– And for today’s Totally Untrue Fun Fact: in his heyday, Bobby Orr owned Boston. In 1972, he not only helped win the Stanley Cup for the Bruins, he went 4-1 with a 1.32 ERA in relief for the Red Sox, gained 257 yards rushing, 147 yard receiving and scored 4 touchdowns for the Patriots, and won the NBA’s Sixth Man Award coming off the bench as a shooting guard for the Celtics.