CHICAGO WHITE SOX NOTES:
WHITE SOX AT A GLANCE
The Chicago White Sox have won fi ve of their last eight games as they continue a seven-game trip tonight at Kansas City.
RHP Lucas Giolito, who has allowed two earned runs or less five times and one or less three times over his seven starts this season, is scheduled to start tonight’s game for Chicago.
The White Sox are 2-2 on this seven-game trip after losing last night’s series opener to the Royals … they opened the trip winning two of three at Cincinnati, including scoring a season-high 17 runs in Sunday’s victory at Great American Ball Park.
Following Thursday’s series finale at Kauffman Stadium, Chicago returns home for a nine-game, 10-day homestand vs. Houston (5/12-14), Cleveland (5/16-18) and the Royals (5/19-21).
The Sox went 3-4 on their last homestand vs. Tampa Bay (1-3) and Minnesota (2-1) from 4/27-5/4 and 0-6 on their last trip at the Rays (0-3) and Toronto (0-3) from 4/21-26.
TONIGHT’S STORYLINES
The White Sox have alternated wins and losses over their last six games since 5/3.
The Sox have won fi ve of the last eight games following a 10-game losing streak … four of the wins have come by three runs or less, including two by one run and two on walkoff hits.
Chicago pitchers owns a 5.11 ERA (42 ER/74.0 IP) with 15 home runs, 31 walks and 85 strikeouts over the last eight games.
The Sox are 29-128 (.227) with RISP over the last 16 contests.
Lucas Giolito owns a 2.20 ERA (8 ER/32.2 IP), .171 (20-117) opp. average, 0.86 WHIP and 32 strikeouts over his last five starts … he has allowed two runs or less four during the span.
Luis Robert Jr. is 11-22 (.500) with three doubles, two home runs, seven RBI, five walks, three multi-hit efforts and a 1.542 OPS during his seven-game hitting streak.
Andrew Vaughn owns 10 RBI over his last 10 games.
LAST NIGHT’S RECAP
Kansas City broke a 4-4 tie with eight runs in the sixth inning, including three off starter Dylan Cease, en route to a 12-5 win.
Cease loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth and was relieved by Aaron Bummer, who surrendered four runs on three hits and one walk in 0.2 IP before departing.
The White Sox took a 3-1 lead on Hanser Alberto’s sac fly in the second and Andrew Vaughn’s two RBI double in the third.
Cease’s winless stretch was extended to fi ve starts after allowing seven runs on nine hits, including one homer, in 5.0 IP … he allowed seven runs for the second time in his last three outings.
Luis Robert Jr. (1-3, 2 R) extended his hitting streak to seven games, and Gavin Sheets hit his fourth home run of the season … the Sox went 2-7 with RISP and left seven on base.
GIOLITO’S COMFORT AT “THE K”
Lucas Giolito is 5-1 with a 2.81 ERA (21 ER/67.1 IP), 1.08 WHIP, .637 OPS and 58 strikeouts over 11 career starts at Kauff man Stadium … eight of the outings have been quality.
Giolito has allowed three earned runs or less in all 11 starts, two or less seven times and one or less four times.
His 2.81 ERA is the third-lowest among American League ballparks, trailing 1.50 (2 ER/10.1 IP) at Globe Life Park Field and 2.67 (10 ER/33.2 IP) at Tropicana Field.
Giolito has surrendered just two home runs over his last seven starts (42.1 IP) since the start of the 2019 season.
FLIPPING THE SCRIPT?
Chicago has won five of its last eight games after losing a season-high 10 straight games from 4/19-29.
During the stretch, the Sox won consecutive games (4/30-5/2) for the fi rst time, and earned their first overall series (5/2-4 vs. Minnesota) and road series (5/5-7) wins.
A breakdown of the White Sox over their last eight games since 4/30 and during their 10-game losing streak:
W-L AVG R R/G HR OBP SLG OPS ERA IP QS ER HR SO
5-3 .286 54 6.8 12 .361 .462 .823 5.11 74.0 2 42 15 85
0-10 .174 25 2.5 8 .250 .297 .547 7.24 51.0 1 41 10 50
REINFORCEMENTS ON THE MEND
LHP Garrett Crochet (TJ surgery), RHP Liam Hendriks (treatment for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma) and INF Yoán Moncada currently are on rehab assignments with Class AAA Charlotte.
Crochet’s rehab was transferred to Charlotte today … he made three appearances (4 ER/3.1 IP) with Class AA Birmingham.
Hendriks (1 ER/2.0 IP) has made two appearances with Class AAA Charlotte … he announced on 4/20 he is cancer free.
Moncada is 5-9 (.556) with a homer and three RBI with Charlotte (3 G) … he has been on the IL since 4/11 (low back soreness).
WHITE SOX VS. KANSAS CITY ROYALS
The White Sox and Royals play 13 games this season, including seven times in May and six times in September.
The White Sox are 18-21 vs. the Royals since the start of the 2021 season (outscored 154-151) after going 9-1 in 2020 … the Sox have lost four consecutive games at Kauff man Stadium.
Chicago went 9-10 vs. Kansas City last season, going 5-4 at Guaranteed Rate Field and 4-6 at Kauff man Stadium.
Chicago is hitting .296/.353/.431 with 17 home runs and 61 runs scored (4.4 R/G) over the last 14 games vs. the Royals.
K.C. CONNECTIONS
Manager Pedro Grifol and coaches Eddie Rodríguez and Mike Tosar all previously worked in the Kansas City organization.
Grifol was a member of the Royals coaching staff from 2013-22, including a World Series title and two American League pennants.
Rodríguez served as the fi rst-base (2010) and third-base (2011- 13) coach and worked in player development (2009, ’17-22) … Tosar was a special assignment hitting coach from 2020-22.
INF Hanser Alberto (2021), OF Andrew Benintendi (2021-22) and OF Billy Hamilton (2019) previously played for the Royals.
CENTRAL DIVISION DYNAMICS
Chicago is 3-4 vs. the American League Central this season, with six games against first-place Minnesota.
The White Sox went 37-39 vs. the AL Central in 2022 (18-19 at home; 19-20 on the road) after going 69-47 from 2020-21. The White Sox recorded three straight winning seasons vs. the division from 2019-21, their longest streak since 1997-2009.
REST WHEN YOU CAN
The Sox are 5-3 during their current stretch of 29 games in 30 days from 5/2-31 … their only off days in May are 5/1 and 5/15.
The 29-game stretch includes 15 games at home, 14 on the road and 20 vs. the American League Central.
The White Sox play seven consecutive series from 5/5-28 vs. teams at or below .500 (Cincinnati, Kansas City twice, Houston, Cleveland twice and Detroit).
POSTING PUNCHOUTS
Chicago pitchers lead MLB with 357 strikeouts, 18 ahead of Minnesota (339) and 19 more than the Yankees (338).
White Sox starters rank second in the major leagues in strikeouts (209), trailing the Twins (220).
NO RISP, NO REWARD
The White Sox are hitting .227 (29-128) with runners in scoring position over the last 16 games.
Andrew Vaughn is batting .444/.529/.963 (12-27) with 23 RBI with RISP this season … Andrew Benintendi is batting .429/.538/.524 (9-21) with eight RBI and five walks with RISP.
SOUTHPAW SUCCESS
The White Sox are batting .273/.339/.443 vs. left-handed pitching since the start of the 2019 season … during that span, the Sox lead MLB in average and on-base percentage, tied for second in OPS (.782) and sixth in slugging percentage.
Tim Anderson owns a .349/.379/.555 (142-407) slash line vs. LHP since 2019, and Hanser Alberto is hitting .346/.366/.493 (172-497) … Anderson and Alberto rank 1-2 in MLB in average vs. left-handers since the start of 2019.
Luis Robert Jr. is a career .349/.413/.608 hitter vs. lefties.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Chicago is 6-14 (.300) on the road this season and 50-51 (.495) since the start of 2022 … the .495 winning percentage is the seventh-best in the American League since 2022.
The White Sox rank sixth in the AL during that span with a 3.83 ERA (370 ER/870.0 IP).
AS TA GOES, SO GO THE WHITE SOX
Since the start of the 2020 season, the White Sox are 154- 114 (.575) when All-Star SS Tim Anderson is in the starting lineup and 67-85 (.441) then he does not start.
During that span, the Sox are 126-75 when Anderson records a hit, 73-32 when he records a multi-hit eff ort, 96-47 when he scores a run and 27-3 when he homers.
The White Sox went 3-15 during Anderson’s 10-day injured list stint this season (4/11-5/1; sprained left knee).
Anderson ranks second in MLB since the start of 2019 with 52 three-hit games (Sox are 36-16), trailing Freddie Freeman (60).
Anderson needs three homers to become the fourth player in White Sox history to record 100 HR/100 SB, joining Hall-of-Famer Minnie Miñoso, Alexei Ramírez and Ray Durham
STARTER – #27 LUCAS GIOLITO RHP
GIOLITO AT A GLANCE
Is scheduled to make his eighth start of the season, fifth on the road and first vs. the Kansas City Royals.
Has gone 1-2 with a 2.20 ERA (8 ER/32.2 IP), .171 (20-117) opponents average and 32 strikeouts over his last five starts … has tossed 6.0-plus IP in each of the five starts and has allowed two runs or less in four.
Ranks among American League leaders since 4/12 in opponents average (4th, .171), WHIP (4th, 0.86) and ERA (5th, 2.20).
Opponents are hitting .238 (10-42) against him with RISP and .333 (6-18) with RISP/two outs.
Is 97 strikeouts away from becoming the 12th pitcher in White Sox history with 1,000 (86 strikeouts away from 1,000 in his career).
Finished sixth in the AL Cy Young Award voting in 2019, seventh in 2020 and tied for 11th in 2021.
Threw the 19th no-hitter in White Sox history on 8/25/20 vs. Pittsburgh, walking one with 13 strikeouts.
Was a finalist for a Rawlings(R) Gold Glove and Comeback Player of the Year Awards and was a 2019 AL All-Star.
Won AL Pitcher of the Month honors in May 2019 and AL Player of Week for 8/24-30/20 and 5/27-6/2/19.
LAST START
Received a no decision on 5/4 vs. Minnesota, allowing one run on two hits with three walks and seven strikeouts over a season-high tying 7.0 IP (2x, also on 4/23 at Tampa Bay) … held the Twins scoreless over the first five innings, retiring 15 straight batters from the first-sixth inning … surrendered a solo home run to Carlos Correa in the sixth.
Departed the game in the eighth with the White Sox leading, 2-1… threw 101 pitches (65 strikes) … the White Sox lost, 7-3, in 12 innings.
Owned a 59.3 first-strike percentage and 13.9 swinging-strike percentage (18 swing and misses) vs. 27 batters … threw 55 four-seam fastballs (91.9 mph avg; 93.7 mph max), 35 sliders (82.7 avg; 85.5 max) and 11 changeups (79.6 avg; 81.3 max).
ROAD WARRIOR LUCAS
Is 0-2 with a 5.73 ERA (14 ER/22.0 IP), .293 (27-92) opponents average and 21 strikeouts in four starts on the road this season, allowing three runs or more in three of the starts.
Has gone 24-10 with a 3.41 ERA (121 ER/319.1 IP), .231 (276-1,195) opponents average and 378 strikeouts in 55 road starts since 2019.
Ranks among American League road leaders since 2019 in wins (3rd), strikeouts (3rd), starts (T3rd), ERA (4th) and opponents average (5th).
POSTING PUNCHOUTS
Has recorded 14 career starts with 10-plus strikeouts, tied with teammate Dylan Cease for fourth-most in White Sox history … needs one double-digit strikeout game to tie Juan Pizarro for third place.
Recorded consecutive 10-plus strikeout games twice in his career from 8/20-25/20 (two) and 8/16-27/19 (three).
His last double-digit strikeout game came on 5/4/22 at the Cubs (10 SO).
THE QUALITY KID
Leads the White Sox and is tied for ninth in the American League with four quality starts this season.
Has tossed 75 quality starts in his career, fifth-most in the American League since 2017.
BITTEN BY THE LONG BALL
Has allowed 56 home runs since the start of the 2021 season, the 10th-most in baseball … is averaging 1.32 HR/9.0 IP during that span.
Has surrendered five home runs over his seven starts this season, allowing two on 4/7 at Pittsburgh, two on 4/23 at Tampa Bay and one on 5/4 vs. Minnesota … has allowed one three-run homer, one two-run and three solo shots.
Allowed a home run in 16 of his 30 starts in 2022 and multiple homers in seven … allowed 10 homers on the road and 14 at home … surrendered 16 home runs in the first half of the season, compared to just eight in the second half.
VS. KANSAS CITY ROYALS || A.L. CENTRAL
Is scheduled to make his 21st career start against Kansas City and 12th at Kauffman Stadium.
Has gone 1-3 with a 6.03 ERA (21 ER/31.1 IP) and.285 (35-123) opponents average in his last six starts, but 5-1 with a 2.81 ERA (21 ER/67.1 IP) and .215 (53-246) opponents average in 11 career starts in Kansas City … has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his 11 career starts on the road.
Is 1-2 with a 2.66 ERA (12 ER/40.2 IP), .195 (29-149) opponents average and 43 strikeouts over his last seven starts against the American League Central … has allowed three runs or less in each of those contests.
KANSAS CITY ROYALS NOTES:
DOZEN-RUN DUB: The Royals dropped a dozen runs on the White Sox in last night’s 12-5 win, which was fueled by an 8-run 6th inning…Zack Greinke was in line for the win when he came back out for the top of the 6th, but he allowed a game-tying home run to Gavin Sheets that tied the scored at 4-4…he exited with 2 outs in the inning before the Royals erupted for 8 runs in the bottom half, on 5 hits, 3 walks and a hit batter…the 8-run inning was more than the Royals had scored in 30 of their previous 35 games this season, and it helped them clinch consecutive wins for the first time since April 7-8 while improving them to 3-4 on this homestand.
MAY FLOWERS: The Royals scored a season-high 12 runs in last night’s win as the offense continues to blossom in the month of May…after ranking 24th in runs per game, 29th in batting average (.220) and 30th in OPS (.624) through the end of April, the Royals rank among the Majors’ best offenses in May, including 1st in slugging percentage (.567) and OPS (.955), tied for 1st in extra-base hits (34), 2nd in runs per game (7.4), batting average (.310) and on-base percentage (.388), tied for 2nd in home runs (13) and 5th in walks (30).
DINGER PARTY: The Royals have homered in a season-high 7 consecutive games to begin the month of May, after homering in 14 of 29 games in March/April (20 HR total)…their 13 HR through 7 games this month lead the American League and rank tied for 2nd in the Majors to the Braves, who have hit 17 HR in 8 games since the calendar flipped to May…of the Royals last 12 home runs, 6 have come with a man on base, after their previous 8 homers were solo shots, which was their longest run of solos within the same season since 2019.
Royals catchers have hit 9 home runs this season, the most of any position on the team and the highest total at the catcher position in the Majors, matching the Braves, whose catchers also have 9 home runs.
Salvador Perez leads the Royals with 7 HR, including 6 as a catcher…MJ Melendez has homered once as a catcher and Freddy Fermin has homered in his last 2 games with an at-bat, the 1st and 2nd of his career.
Bobby Witt Jr. has homered twice on this homestand and trails only Salvy for the team lead with 6 homers, which is 1 behind Bo Bichette and Willy Adames (7 HR each) for the most among shortstops.
GETTING OFFENSIVE: Although the start of this month and homestand mark a nice, round starting point for the Royals offensive turnaround, they actually rank among the league leaders in many offensive categories over a period of two-plus weeks…in their last 16 games since April 22, the Royals lead the Majors with 6 triples, rank tied for 1st with 63 extra-base hits and 38 doubles, 5th with a .283 batting average and .350 on-base percentage, 6th with an .820 OPS and 7th with a .470 slugging percentage…they’ve scored 89 runs in those 16 games—tied for 4th most in the Majors—for an average of 5.6 runs per game.
The Royals have matched or out-hit their opponent in 10 of the last 16 games, and that’s starting to translate into wins, as they’re 6-10 during that stretch after beginning the season 4-16 through 20 games.
After going 7-for-44 on the last trip, Bobby Witt Jr. has hit in all 6 of his games on this homestand, during which he’s batting .310 (9-for-29) with 4 extra-base hits and 5 RBI for a .621 slugging and .954 OPS.
Vinnie Pasquantino has reached safely in 52 of his last 55 games since Sept. 15, 2022, a stretch in which he ranks (min. 225 PA) 1st in MLB in on-base percentage (.415) and 2nd in average (.325) and OPS (.932).
Salvador Perez leads the Royals with 7 HR and 20 RBI this season, and after hitting .220 through 21 games, he’s batting .422 (19-for-45) over his last 12 games with 6 multi-hit efforts, 5 HR and 13 RBI, a stretch in which his 1.259 OPS ranks 2nd in the Majors, his .422 average ranks 3rd and his .778 slugging ranks 4th.
In 7 games since being recalled from Triple-A Omaha, Maikel Garcia is batting .296 (8-for-27) with 5 RBI.
Nick Pratto has 4 multi-RBI efforts in 10 games since his April 28 recall, during which he ranks 5th in the American League with a .448 on-base percentage, tied for 5th with 9 RBI and 6th with a .400 average.
Michael Massey started 6-for-52 but is batting .302 (13-for-43) with a .404 on-base percentage in his last 13 games, including an active 5-game hit streak in which he’s reached in 12 of 21 plate appearances.
MJ Melendez hit .149 (10-for-67) through his first 18 games, but he’s batting .283 (15-for-53) in 14 games since, with 7 extra-base hits and 9 RBI for an .869 OPS, including a HR and a season-high 4 RBI last night.
Jackie Bradley Jr. has started each of the last 4 games in center field since Kyle Isbel was placed on the Injured List, and he’s recorded a hit in his last 3 games, including a season-high 3 hits and 2 RBI last night.
WHAT A RELIEF!: Over the last 3 games, nine different Royals relievers have combined to record a 0.77 ERA (1 ER in 11.2 IP) with 6 hits and 4 walks allowed and 14 strikeouts (10.8 K/9)…the bullpen has been taxed hard over the last three weeks, a stretch in which Royals starting pitchers hadn’t recorded an out in the 6th inning in consecutive games until Sunday and last night, when Ryan Yarbrough and Zack Greinke each completed 5.2 innings…that means the bullpen was worked for at least 4.0 innings in 14 of the 17 games in between.
Despite being worked for 134.0 innings through 36 games—9th most in the Majors—the Royals bullpen has posted a 10.7 K/9 this season, which ranks 2nd in the Majors to the White Sox (10.8)…this marks a significant improvement from last season, when Royals relievers ranked 21st in the Majors with an 8.5 K/9.
VS. WHITE SOX: The Royals and White Sox are meeting tonight for the 2nd of 13 games between these division rivals this season, and for the 2nd of 7 games over 14 days, including a 3-game set in Chicago on the Royals next road trip from May 19-21…the Royals have won nine of the last 12 season series vs. the White Sox, including a 10-9 record vs. them last season, which marked their most wins vs. any opponent in 2022.
The Royals are 21-18 vs. the Sox since 2021—including 12-9 at home—after going 1-9 vs. them in 2020.
This series also marks a homecoming of sorts for White Sox Manager Pedro Grifol, who spent 10 seasons with the Royals from 2013-22, including three years as the Bench Coach from 2020-22…his staff includes Major League Field Coordinator, Mike Tosar, who was a Special Assignment Hitting Coach with the Royals from 2021-22, and Third Base Coach, Eddie Rodríguez, who previously spent 11 seasons over two stints in the Royals organization, most recently as a Minor League Infield Coordinator from 2017-22.
Chicago’s 13 active position players include three former Royals in Hanser Alberto, who played for Kansas City in 2021, and Billy Hamilton, who played with the Royals in 2019…Andrew Benintendi played a season-and-a-half with Kansas City from 2021-22 and hit .320 (111-for-347) in 93 games with the Royals last season, before he was traded to the New York Yankees ahead of last year’s Trade Deadline.
ON DECK: Following this season-long, 10-game homestand, the Royals will leave Kansas City Thursday night to begin a 10-day, 9-game road trip…they’ll play 3 games this weekend in Milwaukee and 3 games next week in San Diego, before enjoying an off day in Chicago on Thursday, May 18, which will wrap up a stretch of 26 games in 27 days…that will lead into a 3-game weekend series in Chicago vs. these White Sox from May 19-21.
TONIGHT’S STARTERS: RHP JORDAN LYLES (0-5, 6.69 ERA)
JORDAN LYLES is making his 8th start of the season and 329th appearance (222nd start) of his career tonight vs. the White Sox…he was originally selected by Houston in the 1st round (38th overall) of the 2008 Draft out of Hartsville High School (S.C.), and signed a two-year contract with the Royals on Dec. 28, 2022.
LATE RALLY FALLS SHORT: Jordan did not factor into the decision of a 13-10 Royals loss last Thursday to the Orioles, in which he was charged with a season-high 8 runs (6 ER) on 6 hits—including 4 extra-base hits—and 2 walks in 5.0 innings, with 3 strikeouts…Jordan nearly pitched a 1-2-3 1st inning, but an error by MJ Melendez in right field was followed by a 2-run home run off the bat of Anthony Santander…the O’s rallied for 3 runs despite only 2 hits in the 2nd inning, when he loaded the bases on a single, walk and hit batter before Cedric Mullins wiped the bases clean with a double…they hung another crooked number in the 3rd, when with 2 outs, Jorge Mateo had an RBI single and Gunnar Henderson followed with a 2-run home run, putting Lyles into an 8-1 hole…he finished with a pair of scoreless frames in the 4th and 5th before the offense overcame a 7-run deficit to take a 9-8 lead in the 7th, before the O’s erupted for 5 runs on 4 hits and 6 walks over the final 2.0 innings.
Through 7 starts, Lyles has allowed 11 homers—the 3rd-highest total in the Majors—including 9 in his last 4 starts and 5 starts with at least 2 HR allowed.
The Royals are 0-7 in games started by Lyles, and he is 0-5 since his most recent win in his final start of 2022, a 2-1 win at Yankee Stadium with the O’s.
PITCH MIX: Lyles has stuck with a similar pitch mix over his last 3 starts, in which he’s featured his fastball (39.0%), slider (24.2%), curve (19.7%) and cutter (10.5%), while sprinkling in a few pitches that registered as sinkers and changeups…the Angels went just 1-for-9 vs. his fastball on April 23, but in his last 2 starts on April 28 vs. the Twins and last Thursday vs. the Orioles, opponents are a combined 6-for19 (.316) vs. his fastball with all 6 hits going for extra bases…his off-speed fared much better vs. the Twins on April 28, as they were a combined 2-for-7 off his changeup, slider, curve and cutter, but the Orioles had 4 hits off his off-speed pitches last week.
Lyles has controlled left-handed hitters with a steady dose of fastballs (47.0%) and curveballs (26.0%), which has limited them to a .220 average (18-for-82) with a 21.3 K% and 10.6 BB%, but lefties have hit 6 of the 11 HR he’s allowed.
Righties have seen a mixture of his repertoire, including his slider (42.0%), fastball (31.0%) and sinker (14.0%), which has led to a .304 average (24-for79) with 14 extra-base hits for a .949 OPS, including a 16.8 K% and 7.8 BB%.
ON STRIKE: Jordan issued 4 walks in on April 28 in Minnesota, his most since July 28, 2022 vs. Tampa Bay, snapping a run of 16 starts in between in which he issued only 20 walks to 375 batters, for a 5.3 BB%…his career BB% is 7.7, and he’s improved in that category with age, as his BB% of 7.1 since the start of 2021 ranks 4th in the American League (min. 65 starts), trailing only Cole Irvin (5.5%), José Berríos (5.8%) and Gerrit Cole (6.2%).
WORKHORSE: The Royals are the eighth club Lyles has pitched for in the Majors during his 13-year big league career that has included stops with Houston (2011-13), Colorado (2014-17), San Diego (2017-18), Milwaukee (2018-19), Pittsburgh (2019), Texas (2020-21), Baltimore (2022) and Kansas City (2023)…since the beginning of 2021, his 399.1 innings rank 3rd among American League pitchers behind only Gerrit Cole (433.2 IP) and José Berríos (404.1 IP), including a career-high 180.0 innings with Texas in 2021.
He was one of only four American League pitchers to record at least 175.0 innings from 2021-2022, along with Cole, Cole Irvin and Robbie Ray.
Across his 13 seasons and 328 Major League appearances, he has only been placed on the Injured List on five occasions: June 10-29, 2019 (left hamstring tightness), March 28-April 4, 2019 (right side discomfort), June 24-July 29, 2018 (right elbow inflammation), June 1-end of season, 2015 (sprained left big toe) and June 5-Aug. 6, 2014 (fractured left hand).
VS. WHITE SOX: Jordan has made 7 outings (5 starts) vs. the White Sox in his career, in which he’s 1-3 with a save and a 4.55 ERA (15 ER in 29.2 IP)…he faced them twice last year with Baltimore and completed 7.0 innings in both starts, on June 26 in Chicago, where he suffered a 4-3 loss, and last Aug. 25 in Baltimore, where he didn’t factor into the decision of a 4-3 Orioles win…his lone victory against the Sox came on April 7, 2014 with Colorado, where he allowed just 1 run on 5 hits in 6.2 innings on the mound, and went 3-for-3 with 2 RBI at the plate, including an RBI double off former-Royal Felipe Paulino.
FAR FROM HOME: Over the course of his 13-year career, Lyles has fared better when pitching in front of his home fans, going 36-40 (.474) with a 4.79 ERA (373 ER in 701.0 IP) in 167 appearances…in 161 appearances (112 starts) on the road, he’s 30-55 (.353) with a 5.53 ERA (409 ER in 665.2 IP)…in 2022 while pitching for the Orioles, Lyles pitched extremely well at Camden Yards, with a 3.47 ERA (32 ER in 83.0 IP) across 14 starts…was hit hard last year on the road, where he posted a 5.25 ERA (56 ER in 96.0 IP) in 18 starts, but he did go 7-8 and only 10 AL pitchers had more road wins.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS: Lyles has been nothing if not a consistently strong defender, averaging less than 1 defensive miscue per season during his 13-year career (12 errors in 1366.2 IP)…he has not committed an error since Sept. 22, 2020, and has made 72 appearances (70 starts) since.
His 399.1 innings without an error since the start of 2021 are the most among all pitchers, ahead of tonight’s opposing starter Lucas Giolito (382.0).
