CHICAGO WHITE SOX NOTES:
WHITE SOX AT A GLANCE
The Chicago White Sox have won two of the last three games but lost seven of last 10, nine of 13 and 21 of 33 as they continue this nine-game, 10-day trip tonight at the Mets.
RHP Touki Toussaint, who has worked 3.0-plus IP in all five appearances with the White Sox, is scheduled to start.
The Sox have split the first four games of this trip, losing last night’s opener to the Mets after winning two of three at Atlanta.
Following tomorrow’s series finale at Citi Field, Chicago will conclude the trip with three games at first-place Minnesota.
The White Sox are in fourth place in the American League Central, 9.0 games behind the division-leading Twins (49-47).
Chicago went 1-5 on their last homestand from 7/4-9 vs. Toronto (0-3) and St. Louis (1-2) and 3-4 on its last trip from 6/26-7/2 at Los Angeles-AL (2-2) and Oakland (1-2).
TONIGHT’S STORYLINES
Chicago is 37-114 (.325) with eight doubles, four home runs, 24 runs scored and an .874 OPS in the last three games … they are 13-33 (.394) with 15 RBI with RISP in the three-game span.
The White Sox are trying to score six-plus runs in four consecutive games for the first time since 4/5-8 (four in a row).
Chicago is 15-6 in the last 21 second games of a series.
The Sox are trying to avoid falling a season-high matching 17 games under .500 (also 7/14, 38-55).
Touki Toussaint owns a 3.10 ERA (7 ER/20.1 IP), .179 (12-67) opp. average, .579 OPS, one home run allowed and 20 strikeouts over five appearances (two starts) with the White Sox.
Andrew Benintendi is hitting .362/.413/.457 (34-94) with nine doubles, 11 RBI, nine walks, 15 runs scored and 11 multi-hit efforts in 23 games since moving to the leadoff spot on 6/17.
Tim Anderson owns three multi-hit eff orts over his last four games (.412, 7-17; 2B, 2 RBI, .944 OPS).
LAST NIGHT’S RECAP
Tim Anderson flew out to end the game with the tying and go-ahead runs on base as the White Sox comeback attempt fell just short in an 11-10 loss at the Mets.
The Sox trailed 5-0 after the first, 6-1 after the second and 8-2 after the fourth … trailing 11-4 after six, they scored five runs in the seventh to cut the deficit to 11-9.
Chicago added one run in the ninth off David Robertson before he induced a game-ending fly out by Anderson.
Lucas Giolito fell to 6-6 after allowing a season-high eight runs on six hits, including three home runs, with five walks and five strikeouts over a season-low matching 3.2 IP.
Andrew Benintendi went 2-4 with a RBI and three runs scored, Anderson was 3-5 with a double and RBI, Jake Burger went 2-5 with two doubles and three RBI and Yasmani Grandal was 2-3 with a homer, three RBI and three runs scored.
ABOUT LAST NIGHT
The White Sox last night scored 10 runs in a loss for the first time since 7/31/21 vs. Cleveland (12-11) … the last time they lost a road game scoring 10-plus runs was 9/15/19 at Seattle (11-10).
Twelve teams scored double-digit runs last night, tied (also 5/30/1884) for the second-most on a single day in MLB history … the most was 13 on 7/4/1894 (Elias).
HOME RUN DERBY
Chicago’s Luis Robert Jr. (T3rd, 27) and New York’s Pete Alonso (T5th, 26) rank among the MLB home run leaders in 2023.
Robert Jr. and Alonso each have hit 16 home runs of 400-plus feet this season, tied for the fifth-most in the major leagues.
Both players participated in the Home Run Derby at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park … Robert Jr. lost to Randy Arozarena in the semifinals, and Alonso fell to Julio Rodríguez in the first round.
CLOSE CALLS
Sixty-two of Chicago’s 95 games (65.3 pct.) have been decided by three runs or less (27-35) … the Sox are 15-16 in one-run games and 5-8 in two-run games … 34 of the last 37 games since 6/2 at Detroit have been decided by four runs or less.
ARMS RACE
White Sox pitchers have recorded a 3.90 ERA (217 ER/500.2 IP) in 56 games since 5/13, the third-best mark in the AL … the Sox lead MLB with a .228 opp. average during that span.
A breakdown of White Sox pitching through their first 40 games of the season and last 56 contests:
Games W-L ERA QS IP H R ER HR BB SO AVG OPS WHIP
Last 56 27-29 3.90 21 500.2 428 234 217 68 208 538 .228 .705 1.27
First 40 13-27 5.66 12 351.2 366 241 221 65 167 385 .263 .817 1.52
WHITE SOX VS. NEW YORK METS
The two clubs are playing for the first time since the Mets swept a three-game series from 7/30-8/1 at Guaranteed Rate Field (White Sox scored a total of four runs) … the Sox won two of three in the last meeting at Citi Field from 5/30-6/1.
Chicago is 6-8 in the all-time series, going 3-5 at Guaranteed Rate Field and 3-3 at Citi Field.
JUST˨IN TIME
The White Sox went 17-49 (.347) with three doubles and 10 runs scored in two games vs. Justin Verlander last season.
The Sox scored seven runs on nine hits on 6/18/22 at Minute Maid Park (3.2 IP) and three runs on eight hits on 8/16/22 at Guaranteed Rate Field (7.0 IP).
Right-handers went 15-42 (.357) with seven RBI, and the club was 7-16 (.438) with nine RBI with RISP last season.
WINDY CITY MEETS THE BIG APPLE
White Sox INF Zach Remillard is a native of Cohoes, N.Y., located approximately 160 miles from Citi Field.
Sox 1B coach Daryl Boston played for NYM from 1990-92.
The following Mets’ played for Chicago: Omar Narváez (2016- 18), José Quintana (2012-16) and David Robertson (2015-17).
Mets third-base coach Joey Cora both played (1991-94) and coached (2004-11) with the White Sox.
INTERLEAGUE INSIGHT
Chicago is 10-15 vs. the National League this season (2-6 series mark), going 4-8 at Guaranteed Rate Field and 6-7 on the road … both series wins have come on the road (CIN and ATL).
The White Sox have lost eight of the last 13 and 12 of the last 20 interleague games … 11 of the last 13 games have been decided by four runs or less (five of the last eight by one run).
Luis Robert Jr. is hitting .362/.402/.755 (34-94) with nine home runs, 27 RBI and a 1.157 OPS in 24 games vs. the N.L.
STARTING PITCHER – #47 TOUKI TOUSSAINT RHP
TOUSSAINT AT A GLANCE
Is scheduled to make his fourth start (seventh appearance) of the season, third (fifth) on the road and third (fourth) during interleague play.
Owns an 0-1 record with a 3.10 ERA (7 ER/20.1 IP), .179 (12-67) opponents average, 13 walks and 20 strikeouts with the White Sox in 2023.
Has worked at least 5.0 IP in each of his last two appearances … struck out nine during that span.
Is limiting right-handed hitters to a .158/.256/.211 (6-38) slash line with fi ve walks and 14 strikeouts this year.
Was claimed off waivers by the White Sox on 6/20 after being designated for assignment by Cleveland on 6/17.
Opponents are batting .100/.394/.100 (2-20) with RISP and .000/.471/.000 (0-9) with RISP/two-outs this year.
Made his major-league debut with Atlanta on 8/13/18 vs. Miami, allowing one run on two hits over 6.0 IP.
Was originally selected by Arizona in the first round (16th overall) of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft.
LAST TIME OUT
Relieved starter Michael Kopech in the first inning on 7/14 at Atlanta … allowed one run on three hits with four walks, one hit batter and four strikeouts over a
season-high 5.1 IP.
Made his last start on 7/8 vs. St. Louis … suffered the loss after allowing two runs on five hits with one walk and five strikeouts over 5.0 IP.
START YOUR ENGINES
Will be making his 27th career start and fourth this year (third with Chicago).
Has gone 5-9 with a 5.28 ERA (69 ER/117.2 IP), .234 (101-432) opponents average, 68 walks and 123 strikeouts in his 26 starts (five quality).
Is 0-4 with a 5.25 ERA (14 ER/24.0 IP) in his last five starts dating back to 9/14/21 vs. Colorado with Atlanta.
START STRONG
Is holding batters to a .193/.350/.311 (41-212) slash line lifetime in his first IP.
First batters faced are hitting .188 (6-32) and is limiting opponents to a .197/.335/.352 (79-401) slash line the first time through the order.
Owns a 2.39 ERA (7 ER/26.1 IP) in the first inning, his lowest career ERA for any inning.
DEBUT ON 35TH AND SHIELDS
Made his White Sox debut on 6/21 vs. Texas, spinning 4.0 hitless IP with two walks and four strikeouts in relief.
Became the second Sox pitcher in franchise history to throw 4.0-plus hitless IP in his White Sox debut, joining Wilson Álvarez who threw a no-hitter on 8/11/91.
WALK IT OUT
Is averaging 6.75 walks per 9.0 IP (18 BB/24.0 IP), the eighth-highest among MLB pitchers with at least 20.0 IP.
Has walked at least one batter in each of his six appearances this season.
SUMMER STRUGGLES
Has gone 2-3 with a 5.95 ERA (28 ER/42.0 IP), .250 (39-156) opponents average, 24 walks and 49 strikeouts in 11 career July appearances (fi ve starts).
His July ERA is the second-highest monthly total lifetime (min. 10.0 IP).
TELL ME MORE
Has limited right-handers to a career .216/.325/.345 (90-417) slash line while lefties have hit .247/.406/.450 (72-291) against him.
Was named Atlanta’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2018.
Spent time on the IL to start the 2021 season with a right shoulder strain before making his season debut on 7/20 … allowed two runs over 13.2 IP (1.32 ERA) in his
first two starts of 2021.
Was designated for assignment by the Braves on 7/2/22 and traded to the Los Angeles Angles … signed as a free agent with the Guardians on 1/4/23.
VS. NEW YORK METS || INTERLEAGUE
Is scheduled to make his sixth career appearance (third start) against the New York Mets.
Is 1-0 with a 2.89 ERA (6 ER/18.2 IP), .215 (14-65) opponents average, 13 walks and 21 strikeouts lifetime.
Earned the win in his last start on 8/1/20 at Citi Field with Atlanta … did not factor in the decision after spinning 4.0 scoreless IP, allowing three hits with three walks, one hit batter and five strikeouts.
Owns a 2-5 record with a 7.56 ERA (35 ER/41.2 IP), .280 (46-164) opponents average, 21 walks and 44 strikeouts in 11 career appearances (eight starts) in interleague play … is 7-5 with a 4.32 ERA (63/131.1 IP) lifetime against the National League.
NEW YORK METS NOTES:
METSCELLANEOUS: The Mets downed the White Sox, 11-10, last night at Citi Field…The Mets have won back-to-back games…New York continues the second-half with a seven-day, six-game homestand (2-2) against the Los Angeles Dodgers (1-2) and the Chicago White Sox (1-0)…Following this series, the Mets hit the road for a five-game, six-day road trip to Boston (three games) and The Bronx (two games).
SHAKE (SHACK) IT OFF: At 6 p.m. tonight, Citi Field is treating media members in the press box to the newly released Bases Loaded BBQ Burger from Shake Shack…This exclusive item was launched this homestand and is only available in the world is at the Citi Field Shake Shack location located in Taste of the City on the Field Level…The Bases Loaded BBQ Burger is a cheeseburger topped with crispy sweet onions and Shake BBQ sauce…It was developed by James Beard Award Winner Danny Meyer and the Union Square Hospitality Group…Starting out as a hot dog cart inside Madison Square Park in 2001, it has been one of the fastest growing food chains now owning over 400 locations…Be sure to check out @amazinmetsfood, the official food account for the New York Mets.
YOU CAN CALL ME AL: Francisco Alvarez recorded his 18th and 19th home runs of the year last night…It was his third career multi-homer game…He now leads all major league catchers in home runs and is tied for first among all rookies in homers with the Rangers’ Josh Jung…He is second in home runs in the majors this month with seven…Only San Diego’s Manny Machado has hit more with nine dingers.
DO IT ALL FOR THE ROOKIE: Alvarez joins Darryl Strawberry (four) and Ed Kranepool (three) as the only Mets with three or more multi-home games before turning 22…He joins Rangers’ Jung and Dodgers’ James Outman as the only rookies to have three multi-homer games this season…Courtesy of ESPN Stats & Info…Alvarez is one of three rookies in franchise history to have three multi-homer games in a season…Darryl Strawberry and Pete Alonso each had four such games in their rookie campaigns…He is second among qualified major league rookies with a .534 SLG and eighth among rookies with 39 RBI.
SECOND CITY: Alvarez is the second-fastest Met to reach 20 career homers, doing so in just 74 games…Pete Alonso reached the 20-career homer mark in 59 games.
BENCH-MARK: Alvarez now has a .534 slugging percentage, which is the highest ever by a Met in his age 21 season or younger…Only two other Mets have had a .500-plus slugging percentage at that age or younger: David Wright (.525 in 2004) and Darryl Strawberry (.512 mark in1983), both in their age 21 seasons… The highest slugging percentage ever posted by a catcher age 21 or younger was Johnny Bench’s .487 mark in 1969 (minimum 225 PA)…Courtesy of Sportradar.
BABY METS, DO, DO, DO: Alvarez and Brett Baty hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning last night…It was the fourth time the Mets have hit back-to-back homers this season…That marked the second time in franchise history rookies hit back-to-back home runs…Mike Jacobs and Victor Diaz hit back-to-back home runs in the second inning on October 2, 2005 vs. Colorado…Courtesy of Elias.
AND I WOULD WALK 700 MILES: Brandon Nimmo played in his 700th career game last night…His .382 career OBP is the third-best by any player in Mets history that played his first 700 career games as a member of the Mets, trailing only Dave Magadan and David Wright.
SOX PUPPETS: Justin Verlander has record 22 career wins against the White Sox… Since the expansion era began in 1961, only Jim Kaat (29), Frank Tanana (29) and Jim Palmer (24) have reocrded more victories against the White Sox…Verlander’s 22 wins against the White Sox is also tied with Nolan Ryan…Courtesy of Elias.
THEY’RE OUT OF MY LEAGUE: The Mets are in a stretch of eight consecutive games against American League opponents..They are 1-0 in that span…The new schedule format has New York playing a total of 43 Interleague games in 2023, more than double their previous high for a single season (20)…The Mets are 11-10 against the American League this year…Overall, New York owns a 246-237 record in Interleague play…The team’s .509 winning percentage is the second-best among National League clubs.
INTERLEAGUE PETE: Pete Alonso has hit 37 home runs in Interleague Play since the 2019 season…His 37 home runs against the American League is a franchise record, and the most among any player since 2019…Mike Piazza was the previous record holder with 28 Interleague home runs.
ALL-AMERICAN: Starling Marte has slashed .325/.385/.538 with 47 doubles, 11 triples, 29 home runs and 93 RBI in 189 career Interleague games…Jeff McNeil has batted .321 (105-327) with 42 runs, 15 doubles, seven home runs, 41 RBI, 22 walks with a .371 OBP and a .431 SLG in 88 career games against the American League… Marte’s .325 average ranks third, while McNeil’s .321 average ranks fourth among active players in Interleague games.
JULY! JULY! JULY!: The Mets are 8-4 through 12 games in this month…The team’s .667 winning percentage is tied for fifth in the majors and is fourth in the National League…The Mets have posted a 3.42 ERA (41 ER/108.0 IP), the lowest ERA in National League in July…Only the Mariners (2.98 ERA) have a lower mark in July.
DROVE TO CHICAGO, ALL THINGS GO: The Mets host the Chicago White Sox at Citi Field for the first time since 2016…The Mets are 8-6 all-time against the White Sox including a 3-3 mark at Citi Field…The Mets have hosted the White Sox in a two-game series from May 7-8, 2013 and a three-game set from May 30-June 1, 2016…Starling Marte is a lifetime .270.386/.426 hitter in 14 career games against the Sox, while Omar Narvaez has hit .361 (13-36) with four runs, a home runs
and three RBI in 10 career contests…Daniel Vogelbach owns a .321 (9-28) mark with five runs, two doubles, three home runs and nine RBI in 10 career games… Francisco Lindor owns a .272/.345/.450 slashline with 34 extra-base hits and 38 RBI in 91 games against the White Sox.
SECOND HALF SQUAD: The Mets are 272-238 in the second half since 2015 (not including 2020)…New York has only posted a losing second half twice during that time frame (2021 and 2017)…New York’s .533 winning percentage during that span is the fourth-best in the NL, behind Los Angeles (.628), St. Louis (.598) and Chicago (.575).
IN THE CITI: The Mets have played 43 games at Citi Field this season, tied for the fewest home games in the majors…The Phillies have also played 43 games at home this year…New York is 22-21 at Citi Field this season, posting a 4.00 ERA.
IF YOU START ME UP: The Mets are 28-5 when the starting pitcher throws at least 6.0 innings…New York has gone 13-1 when its starter pitches 7.0+ innings and are a perfect 4-0 when the starter completes 8.0 innings.
BROOKS WAS HERE: Since returning from the IL on May 14, Brooks Raley has posted a 0.81 ERA (2 ER/22.1 IP) over 27 games…Raley has 18 holds, tied for the third-most in the NL and tied for the sixth-most in the majors…In 22 games at Citi Field this season, Raley has posted a 1.57 ERA (3 ER/17.1 IP) with five walks and 15
punchouts.
STEAL MY SUNSHINE: New York has been successful in all 14 of their stolen base attempts in July, bringing their season tally to 75 steals in 82 attempts…Their 75 steals are tied for eighth in the majors and tied for fifth in the NL…The team’s 91.5 percent success rate is the best in the majors…The Mets had a franchise- record run of 35 consecutive stolen bases without being caught from May 14-June 29… Overall, New York has been successful in 49 of their last 50 stolen base attempts… Starling Marte has swiped 24 bags this year, sixth in the majors and third in the National League…His 338 career stolen bases rank second among active players… Elvis Andrus is the active leader with 341 steals.
COOKIE’S KIDS: As part of his Cookie’s Kids program, Mets starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco teamed up with White Sox pitcher and fellow cancer survivor, Liam Hendriks, to host pediatric cancer patients from Cohen Children’s Medical Center for a special experience…The children were shown special areas around the stadium, including the bullpen and dugout, and met with Carrasco and Hendriks to learn about their inspiring stories of overcoming cancer…All children received
giveaways, lunch, and tickets to a future Mets game.
STARTING PITCHER – JUSTIN VERLANDER RHP #35
2023 STATS: 3-5, 3.72 E R A
LAST TIME OUT: Suffered the loss on July 14 vs. Los Angeles-NL in the first game after the All-Star Break…Allowed three runs on two hits, issued six walks and fanned six batters over 5.0 innings.
PLAYING THE PALE HOSE: Tonight, Verlander will make his 48th career start against the White Sox…For his career against the Southsiders, Verlander is 22-14 with a 3.72 ERA (131 ER/316.2 IP)…Verlander’s 22 wins against the White Sox are tied with the Twins for the third-most against any one opponent…The right-hander has 24 career wins against the Royals and 23 career wins against the Guardians…His 283 career strikeouts against the White Sox are the ninth-most in major league history and the third-most in the Divisional Era (Since 1969).
INCREDIBLE IN INTERLEAGUE PLAY: In 61 career Interleague starts, Verlander is 39-12 with a 2.68 ERA (119 ER/399.1 IP)…In Interleague play history, Verlander has the most wins, the second-most strikeouts (439) trailing only Max Scherzer (462) and the fourth-lowest ERA among qualifiers.
HITTING STRIDE: Over his last six starts dating back to June 14, Verlander has pitched to a 2.50 ERA (10 ER/36.0 IP), the eighth-best mark in the majors during that span (Min. 30.0 IP)…Verlander sported a 4.85 ERA (21 ER/39.0 IP) in his first seven starts of the season… After allowing six runs over 5.0 innings in his Mets Citi Field debut on May 16, Verlander has pitched to a 1.46 ERA (6 ER/37.0 IP) over his last six home starts.
