We've got a showdown in the Windy City today between the Oakland Athletics and the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. This park does place a slight favor on the bats, so let's see if that's going to make a difference today.
Oakland's big gunsfire on the mound, namely JP Sears, comes into this contest touting a tolerable 4.30 ERA. What I like about him is his strikeout power, finishing the season with 7.0 K/9. For the White Sox, we have new boy Sean Burke looking to flex his muscles, boasting an ERA that hasn't even made the radar after his grand debut.
The Athletics posse really comes alive when we're talking Lawrence Butler, Seth Brown, and Brent Rooker. Particularly, Butler is spitting fire with a .350 batting average and 17 RBIs. Those White Sox better watch out. On the other side, Luis Robert, Lenyn Sosa, and Andrew Benintendi, have been doing their share of heavy lifting for the Sox. Robert takes the spotlight, impressively sitting on a .293 batting average and 8 RBIs this season.
Digging into history, these two teams have had some tight encounters. It's a veritable tug of war. Talking about tugs, let's talk about this season's performance. The A's are sitting on a 65-84 record, not impressive but solace comes from the fact that the Sox are really eating dirt with a 34-115 tally.
So where do we land here? Based on momentum, form, and certain unmentioned factors, I foresee a back-and-forth game, possibly high-scoring. But ultimately, the Athenians from Oakland should edge out the South Siders.
Albert’s Prediction: Oakland Athletics by 3