KANSAS CITY ROYALS NOTES:
SWEPT IN TORONTO: The Royals were swept by the Blue Jays in Toronto over the weekend, a 3-game series that was capped by Sunday’s 5-2 defeat…the game was scoreless into the top of the 6th, when Kyle Isbel tripled and scored on an RBI double by Bobby Witt Jr., who stole second base—his 40th of the season—and scored on an RBI groundout by Salvador Perez…the Royals took that 2-0 lead into the bottom of the 6th, at which point Cole Ragans was riding a 26.0-inning scoreless streak…but after 2 quick outs at the top of the order, Ragans walked Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Davis Schneider…with Alejandro Kirk batting, Ragans unleashed 3 consecutive wild pitches, allowing Toronto to plate 2 runs to tie the game without allowing a hit in the inning… the bizarre turn of events for Ragans—who allowed just 1 hit over 5.2 innings—marked the 1st runs charged to him since the 4th inning on Aug. 18 at Wrigley Field, more than three weeks prior…his 26.0-inning scoreless streak matches the 8th longest in Royals history, according to Elias, and was the longest run by a Royal since Wade Davis and Kelvin Herrera had streaks of 31.2 and 31.0 innings that were snapped in September 2014.
LET’S PLAY TWO!: After last night’s game was postponed, the Royals and White Sox will play a traditional doubleheader today in Chicago…Game 1 will begin at 3:40 p.m. CT, and Game 2 will start approximately 30- 45 minutes after the conclusion of Game 1, but no sooner than 6:40 p.m. CT…this marks Kansas City’s 243rd doubleheader in franchise history and 27th vs. the White Sox, its most vs. any opponent…in fact, three of the Royals last five doubleheaders dating back to May of last season have come vs. the White Sox…in the previous 26 double dips between these two teams, the Royals have swept eight, been swept twice and have split 16… they’ve split each of their last nine doubleheaders against each other since the White Sox swept one on Sept. 13, 1976 in Chicago…the Royals last swept a double dip vs. the White Sox on Aug. 6, 1976, also here in Chicago. Today marks the Royals second doubleheader this season following July 15 vs. Tampa Bay, when they were swept by the Rays at Kauffman Stadium…that marked their first time being swept in a double dip in four years, since May 25, 2019 vs. the Yankees, and snapped a run of nine straight unbeaten doubleheaders. The Royals are 74-55-113 all-time in doubleheaders, including 68-48-98 in traditional doubleheaders— such as today—and 6-7-15 in day/night double dips…the Royals last swept a doubleheader on July 11 of last year vs. Detroit, and last swept one on the road two years ago on Sept. 20, 2021 in Cleveland.
CATCHING UP: The Royals announced yesterday that catcher Tyler Cropley was optioned to Triple-A Omaha after Sunday’s game…the Royals selected catcher Logan Porter (No. 88) from Triple-A and designated Cropley for assignment…Porter, 28, was an undrafted free agent in 2018 but has hit at every stop in the minors, posting an .863 OPS over 378 career minor league games…he hit .301 (112-for-372) in 112 games last season and led all Royals farmhands with a .442 on-base percentage, including a career-best 87 walks…he’s spent all of this year at Triple-A Omaha and has hit 13 HR in 110 games, including 74 starts behind the plate, 22 starts at first base and 5 as the designated hitter…Porter graduated from Valley Vista High School in Surprise, Ariz., which is across the street from Kansas City’s Spring Training Complex, where he served as a clubbie in high school. Porter would be the eighth Royals player to debut this season, following Austin Cox on May 4, Samad Taylor on June 17, James McArthur on June 28, Alec Marsh on June 30, John McMillon on Aug. 17, Steven Cruz on Aug. 29 and Nick Loftin on Sept. 1…Porter would also be the 56th different player to appear in a game with the Royals this season, which would be 2nd most in franchise history behind 2004 (58).
ROYAL RUNDOWN: The Royals on Sunday suffered their 100th loss of the season, most in the Majors ahead of the Athletics, who are 45-99…this marks Kansas City’s seventh 100-loss season in franchise history, including a franchise-most 106 losses in 2005…at 44-100, the Royals enter today a franchise-record 56 games under .500.
VS. WHITE SOX: The Royals continue their penultimate road trip of the season with today’s doubleheader on the South Side of Chicago…the Royals are 5-5 vs. the White Sox this season, but have outscored them 53-38 (+15), including 2 wins in 3 games last week in Kansas City…with 2 wins in this week’s series, the Royals can clinch the season series over the White Sox for the third straight season, after going 10-9 in both 2021 and 2022. Ê The Royals went 5-2 vs. the White Sox in Kansas City, but were swept in 3 games here in Chicago back in May…in fact, the Royals have lost 5 straight games on the South Side since their last win on Aug. 30, 2022.
SALVY SPLASHES: Salvador Perez went 1-for-3 with an RBI groundout on Sunday, and enters today 2 hits shy of matching Royals Hall of Famer Mike Sweeney (1,398) for 7th most in franchise history…Perez, who has 8 RBI in 8 games this month, is now 3 RBI shy of becoming the sixth player to record 800 RBI in the 55-year history of the Royals…on Saturday, Perez eclipsed 10,000.0 innings caught for his career, becoming the first Royal to reach that mark…according to Elias—the official statistician of Major League Baseball—catcher’s innings data is incomplete, though it’s believed he’s one of approximately 45 players since 1901 to reach this milestone. The Royals announced yesterday that Salvy will be recognized at home before Friday night’s game as the club’s 2023 Roberto Clemente Award nominee, his second nomination in three seasons following 2021…the award is the annual recognition of a Major League player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field…he was nominated for his charitable efforts in his native country of Venezuela, where he sponsors a baseball academy, donates funds to support police officers and provides meals for families in need…back in Kansas City, Salvy has partnered with Braden’s Hope for Childhood Cancer and was a charter sponsor of the Kansas City Urban Youth Academy with a $1 million donation at its inception, and has continued to work with under-served youth in Kansas City.
BOBBY BASEBALL: Bobby Witt Jr. recorded his 40th and 41st stolen bases on Sunday in Toronto, becoming the third Royal to record a 40-steal season at age 23 or younger, joining Adalberto Mondesi’s 43 steals at age 23 in 2019 and Willie Wilson, who had 46 steals at age 22 in 1978 and a franchise-record 83 steals at age 23 in 1979…Bobby’s 41 steals this season are tied for the 4th most in the Majors behind Ronald Acuña Jr. (65), Esteury Ruiz (58) and Corbin Carroll (47)…he is 2 home runs shy of becoming the first player in Royals history to record 30 home runs and 30 steals in a season, and he and he would be only the fifth player in Major League history with a 30 home runs and 40 steals in his age-23 season (or younger)…the four that have done this include Bobby Bonds in 1969, José Canseco in 1988, Álex Rodríguez in 1998 and Mike Trout in 2012. Bobby’s 71 career stolen bases are the most by any player through two big league seasons since Ichiro Suzuki had 87 steals in his first two seasons from 2001-02…no player in Major League history has matched Witt Jr.’s combination of homers (48) and steals (71) through his first two big league seasons.
GAME 1 STARTERS: RHP BRADY SINGER (8-10, 5.34)
BRADY SINGER is making his team-high 28th start of the season and 91st of his career today vs. Chicago…it’s his 11th career start vs. the White Sox and 2nd straight, as today marks a rematch of last Tuesday night’s game in Kansas City vs. Dylan Cease…he’s in his fourth season in the Majors and was selected by Kansas City in the 1st round (18th overall) of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of the Univ. of Florida. Among players drafted in the 1st round in 2018, Singer’s 6.2 bWAR ranks 4th, trailing Nico Hoerner (11.2), Shane McClanahan (8.5) and Logan Gilbert (6.8).
THE LAST TIME: Brady did not factor into the decision of the Royals 7-6 walk-off win vs. these White Sox a week ago tonight at Kauffman Stadium, in which he was charged with 6 runs on 9 hits—including 3 home runs—and 1 walk over 5.0 innings, with 2 strikeouts…Singer pitched a 1-2-3, 6-pitch 1st inning, but allowed 5 hits to the first six batters in the 2nd inning, including a 2-run home run by Yoán Moncada and a 3-run home run by Korey Lee…he surrendered a solo home run to Andrew Vaughn in his 8-pitch 3rd, and got through the 4th on 5 pitches thanks to Lee being thrown out trying to extend a single to a double…Brady loaded the bases in the 5th on 2 singles and a walk, but escaped without any runs scoring and exited down 6-4.
I’M STILL STANDING: Following a breakout season in 2022, Brady has struggled through ups and downs this year, as he’s been charged with at least 4 earned runs in 13 of his 27 starts, something that happened in only 5 of his 24 starts last season… the Royals, predictably, are 3-10 in games that he allows at least 4 earned runs…but on the flip side, he’s held opponents to 3 earned runs or fewer in his other 14 starts, in which the Royals are 10-4…after going 2-4 with an 8.82 ERA (33 ER in 33.2 IP) in his 1st 7 starts, Singer is 6-6 with a 4.32 ERA (55 ER in 114.2 IP) in his last 20 starts. Singer had a 6-start stretch out of the All-Star break in which he went 3-0 with a 2.85 ERA (13 ER in 41.0 IP) and .179 opponents’ average (26-for-145)…but he’s 0-2 in his last 3 starts with a 9.95 ERA (14 ER in 12.2 IP) and 6 HR allowed.
THE CLIMB: Today marks Brady’s 28th start of the season, setting a new career high while passing his previous best of 27 starts in 2021…he’s also just 5.0 innings shy of matching his career high innings total of 153.1 set last season, although he also recorded 13.2 innings at Triple-A Omaha last year for a total of 167.0 innings… Singer enters tonight with 494.1 innings for his career and is 5.2 frames shy of 500.0.
SONG OF THE SOUTH(PAWS): Opponents have stacked their lineups with lefthanded batters vs. Singer, who has been mostly a two-pitch pitcher, as his sinker and slider account for 91% of his pitches…of the 651 batters Singer has faced, 385 of them (59.1%) have been left handers, which is the highest rate in the Majors (min. 600 BF).
CALL ME MAYBE: In 51 starts since his recall on May 17 of last year, Brady has induced a called strike on 932 of 4,832 pitches (19.3%), 6th most in the Majors behind Logan Webb (1,034), Aaron Nola (971), Gerrit Cole (947), Chris Bassitt (935) and Miles Mikolas (934)…since his 2020 debut season, Singer’s called-strike rate of 20.2% ranks 2nd in the Majors (min. 5,000 pitches), trailing only Adam Wainwright (20.8%).
CAN’T TOUCH THIS: Singer has recorded 469 strikeouts in 494.1 innings since his 2020 debut for an 8.5 K/9, which is the best rate in Royals history among pitchers who’ve started at least 70 games, ahead of Ian Kennedy (8.4), Jakob Junis (8.1) and Danny Duffy (8.1)…his 469 strikeouts are tied with Royals Hall of Famer Steve Busby for the most by a Royal through 93 career appearances…Brady needs 5 strikeouts today to keep pace with Busby, who had 474 strikeouts through 94 appearances.
DON’T STOP BELIEVIN’: Singer has had success following a Royals loss, and he’ll attempt to be the stopper again tonight as the Royals enter on a 4-game losing
streak…in 56 career appearances following a Royals loss, Singer is 19-14 with a 3.87 ERA (130 ER in 302.0 IP), and 6 of his 8 wins this season have followed a Royals loss.
SUNSHINE IN CHICAGO: In 11 career appearances (10 starts) vs. the White Sox, Brady is 3-2 with a 3.77 ERA (26 ER in 62.0 IP), and the Royals are 8-3 in those outings…he’s completed at least 7.0 innings in 3 of his last 7 starts vs. the Sox, and has held them to 1 run or fewer in 4 of his last 7 starts, a stretch in which he’s 3-1. Most of his success vs. the White Sox has come in Kansas City, where he’s 3-1 with a 3.08 ERA (13 ER in 38.0 IP) in 6 starts…but in 5 outings (4 starts) here on the South Side of Chicago, Singer is 0-1 with a 4.88 ERA (13 ER in 24.0 IP).
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Singer is 3-6 with a 6.91 ERA (44 ER in 57.1 IP) in 11 road starts this season, where his ERA is more than 2-and-a-half runs higher than it is at Kauffman Stadium, where he’s 5-4 in 16 starts with a 4.35 ERA (44 ER in 91.0 IP)… he’s lost 5 of his last 7 road starts since the beginning of June, and his only win during that stretch came on Aug. 8 at Fenway Park, where he held the Red Sox to 3 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks over 6.2 innings, with 4 strikeouts…he’s 0-1 in 5 career outings (4 starts) at Guaranteed Rate Field, but the Royals are 3-2 in those 5 games.
GAME 2 STARTERS: RHP JORDAN LYLES (4-16, 6.24)
JORDAN LYLES is making his 28th start of the year and 242nd start (349th appearance) of his career in Game 2 of today’s doubleheader at the White Sox…it marks his 9th career start (11th appearance) and 2nd straight vs. Chicago…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.
LAST TIME OUT: Lyles was dealt his 16th loss of the season in his last start on Wednesday night vs. these White Sox after he allowed 3 runs on 7 hits (1 home run) with 1 walk across 5.1 innings…he retired eight of the first 11 batters he faced through 3.0 innings before he yielded a single to Andrew Vaughn, who later scored
on a double from Gavin Sheets in the 4th inning…he pitched a scoreless 5th frame but allowed a 2-run homer to Vaughn in the 6th inning which ended his outing. It marked the sixth time in his career Lyles did not record a strikeout in 241 starts, but his previous 5 such starts lasted no longer than 4.1 innings.
EIGHT AND OUT: Lyles has pitched 4 games this season in which he has thrown at least 8.0 innings and received a losing decision, and he’s the lone pitcher in the Majors with more than 1 such outing…he’s the first pitcher with 4 such games in a season since David Price (4) in 2013, is the first Royal with 4 such games since Jose Rosado (4) in 1999 and is the first Kansas City right hander since Kevin Appier (4) in 1996. Jordan has completed 8.0 innings five times this season, which is the 2nd most such games in the Majors, behind Miami’s Sandy Alcantara (6) and the most by a Royal since Jeremy Guthrie also had 5 such outings in 2014.
YOU COMPLETE ME: Lyles’ start on Aug. 20 at Wrigley Field marked his 5th career complete game, following Aug. 9 at Boston, May 9 vs. the White Sox, Sept. 21, 2022 vs. Detroit (with Baltimore) and Sept. 30, 2012 at Milwaukee (with Houston)…his 3 complete games this season lead the American League and are tied for most in the Majors with Miami’s Sandy Alcantara…Lyles is the first Royal with 3 complete games in a season since Jeremy Guthrie also had 3 in 2013.
I GOT 5 ON IT: Lyles has completed at least 5.0 innings in 24 of his 27 starts this season, but had his 15-game streak of at least 5.0 innings snapped on Aug. 26 at Seattle…his 15 straight starts of 5.0 innings pitched from May 20-Aug. 20 was the longest such streak by a Royals pitcher since Brad Keller pitched 5.0 innings in 15 consecutive starts from May 7-July 21, 2021…Jordan is one of 10 American League pitchers to have pitched 5.0 innings in 15 consecutive starts this season.
TROUBLE WITH THE LONG BALL: He has allowed at least 1 home run in 20 of his 27 starts this season for a total of 35 homers in 155.2 innings pitched, which ranks 3rd most in the Majors behind Lucas Giolito (36) and Lance Lynn (40)…his 35 home runs allowed are the most by a Royal since Darrell May set the franchise record with 38 home runs allowed in 2004…he has allowed multiple home runs in 11 of his 27 starts this season, which is the 2nd most such games in the Majors and tied for the most such games in franchise history.
THE ONE BAD INNING: Lyles has avoided the “one bad inning” trend in his last 2 starts but has allowed at least 3 runs in a single frame in 14 of his 27 starts (15 instances)…Lyles has been charged with 61 runs (58 ER) in those 15 frames for a 34.80 ERA, which accounts for more than half of the 108 earned runs he’s allowed this year…if you set aside those 15 frames, Jordan has recorded a 3.20 ERA in his remaining 140.2 innings.
IRON MAN: The Royals are the eighth club Lyles has pitched for during his 13- year 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 start of the 2021, his 514.2 innings pitched ranks 4th in the AL behind Gerrit Cole (569.0 IP), José Berríos (535.0 IP) and Framber Valdez (517.2 IP)…Lyles’ 89 starts since the start of 2021 ranks 5th among American League pitchers, 4 behind leaders Cole (93), Berríos and Dylan Cease. During his 13 seasons, he has only been placed on the IL five times: 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 10 appearances (8 starts) vs. the White Sox in his career, in which he’s 1-6 with a save and a 4.78 ERA (26 ER in 49.0 IP)… Lyles last faced the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on May 20 and was dealt the loss as he surrendered 5 runs (4 earned) on 4 hits across 5.0 innings. In his last 4 starts against the White Sox, he is 0-3 but has recorded a 4.10 ERA (12 ER in 26.1 IP) and has limited them to a .263 opponents’ average (26-for-99).
CHICAGO WHITE SOX NOTES:
WHITE SOX AT A GLANCE
The Chicago White Sox have lost seven of the last nine games, 19 of 27 and 31 of 45 as they begin the penultimate homestand of the season today with a straight doubleheader vs. Kansas City. Last night’s game was postponed due to rain. RHPs Dylan Cease and Touki Toussaint are scheduled to start today’s game for the White Sox, who have been officially eliminated from American League Central and Wild Card contention. The Sox went 2-4 on their last trip, losing two of three at both Kansas City and Detroit last week. Following tomorrow’s series finale vs. the Royals, the White Sox will conclude the homestand with four games vs. AL Central beading Minnesota (9/14-17) before taking their final trip of the season to Washington (9/18-20) and Boston (9/22-24). The Sox will conclude the 2023 season with a six-game homestand vs. San Diego (9/25-27) and Arizona (9/29-10/1). The White Sox went 0-3 on their last homestand vs. the Tigers from 9/1-3.
TODAY’S STORYLINES
The White Sox are looking to win their first series since 8/7-9 vs. the Yankees. Sox starters own a 2.45 ERA (6 ER/22.0 IP), .218 (17-78) opp. average with 20 strikeouts over the last four games … starters have allowed three earned runs or less in all four contests. Chicago is 3-0 and owns a 12-3 edge in runs scored vs. Kansas City at Guaranteed Rate Field this season … it has won seven of its last eight at home vs. the Royals dating back to 8/2/22. The Sox are hitting .322/.359/.496 with six homers, 16 runs and an .855 OPS in the last five matchups vs. Brady Singer. RHP Dylan Cease is 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA (4 ER/26.2 IP) and 34 strikeouts in five career home starts vs. Kansas City. Touki Toussaint owns a 2.76 ERA (5 ER/16.1 IP), .164 (9-55) opp. average, 1.04 WHIP and 16 strikeouts in his last three starts. Yoán Moncada has reached safely in 17 of his last 18 games, batting .369/.406/.615 (24-65) with four doubles, four homers, 14 RBI, four walks, six multihit eff orts and a 1.021 OPS. Luis Robert Jr. has hit safely in 10 of his last 12 games, going 14-44 (.318) with five doubles, two home runs and six RBI.
YESTERDAY’S TRANSACTIONS
The White Sox recalled RHP Deivi (“DAY-vee”) García and C Carlos Pérez from Class AAA Charlotte and optioned OF Oscar Colás and RHP Edgar Navarro to Charlotte. García (uniform No. 64) has made seven relief appearances with Charlotte since being claimed from the Yankees on 8/10.
CEASE AND DESTROY
Dylan Cease has gone 20-15 with a 3.46 ERA (130 ER/337.2IP), .221 opp. average and 410 strikeouts (10.93 per 9.0 IP) in 61 starts since the start of the 2022 season. Cease has allowed one or zero earned runs 33 times since the start of 2022, the most in MLB (Justin Verlander ranks second with 2732 starts) … he set a MLB record with 14 straight starts allowing one earned run or less from 5/29-8/11/22.
WHITE SOX VS. KANSAS CITY
The season series is even at 5-5 … Kansas City won five of seven at Kauff man Stadium by a combined 50-26 margin, and the White Sox swept a three-game series at home from 5/19-21. The Sox are hitting .241/.282/.383 (78-324) with 10 home runs, and own a 5.23 ERA (50 ER/86.0 IP) with six quality starts … they have been outscored by the Royals by a 53-38 margin. The White Sox are 23-25 against the Royals since the start of the 2021 season after going 9-1 in 2020. Chicago has won seven of the last eight at home vs. Royals.
GAME 1 STARTING PITCHER – DYLAN CEASE RHP
CEASE AT A GLANCE
Is scheduled to make his 30th start of the season, 15th at home and third against the Kansas City Royals. Ranks among American League leaders this season in SO/9.0 IP (3rd, 10.72), starts (T3rd, 29), strikeouts (5th, 183) and HR/9.0 IP (8th, 1.05). Is 2-4 with a 7.65 ERA (34 ER/40.0 IP), .313 (52-166) opponents average, 26 walks and 45 strikeouts over his last eight starts … tossed 6.0-plus IP in two of those starts. Has allowed one run or less while tossing 5.0-plus IP in 30 starts since 2022 … the 30 starts are the most in baseball ahead of the Padres’ Blake Snell, Dodgers’ Julio Urias and Astros’ Justin Verlander (27). According to Elias, he is the fastest White Sox pitcher to reach 700 career strikeouts (583.0 IP). Is tied for MLB lead since 2021 in starts (93) and ranks fifth in SO/9.0 IP (11.37) and strikeouts (636). Was the 2022 AL Cy Young Award runner-up and has been named American League Pitcher of the month twice in his career (June and July 2022).
LAST START
Received a no decision on 9/5 at Kansas City, allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits with two walks and seven strikeouts over 5.1 IP … allowed a career-high tying three home runs, surrendering three solo shots to Michael Massey and Nelson Velázquez in the fourth inning and MJ Melendez in the fifth. Departed the game in the sixth with one out, runners on first and second and the White Sox leading, 6-4 … threw 96 pitches (59 strikes) … the Sox lost, 7-6. Owned a 50.0 first-strike percentage and 14.6 swinging-strike percentage (15 swing and misses) vs. 26 batters … threw 45 sliders (87.5 mph avg; 90.4 mph max), 36 four-seam fastballs (96.2 avg; 97.8 max), 12 knuckle curveballs (82.4 avg; 84.4 max) and three changeups (73.3 avg; 75.2 max).
HE GONE!
Needs 17 strikeouts to join Chris Sale (2013-16) and Ed Walsh (1910-12) as the only White Sox pitchers to record three straight 200-plus strikeout seasons … is on pace for 207 strikeouts in 2023. Has recorded 408 swing and misses this season, the sixth-most in the majors … recorded a season-high 24 swing and misses on 6/20 vs. Texas.
35TH AND SHIELDS
Is 6-8 with a 2.87 ERA (51 ER/159.2 IP), .214 (126-589) opponents average and 175 strikeouts in his last 27 starts at home dating back to 5/29/22 … his 2.87 ERA at home is the sixth-lowest in the American League in that span. Owns a 16-12 record, 3.23 ERA (106 ER/295.1 IP), .212 (229-1,082) opponents average and 354 strikeouts in 53 starts (26 QS) at Guaranteed Rate Field since 2020. Ranks among American League home leaders since 2020 in strikeouts (2nd), ERA (8th), opponents average (10th) and wins (T10th).
LIGHTS OUT IN THE SUN
Is 12-6 with a 2.49 ERA (47 ER/170.0 IP), .198 (123- 621) opponents average and 203 strikeouts (10.75 per 9.0 IP) over 30 day starts since the start of last season. His 2.49 ERA in day games since 2022 is the ninth-lowest among MLB pitchers (min. 10 day starts).
OVER WORKED
Has thrown 2,842 pitches in 29 starts this season, the fifth-most in the majors … his 98.0 pitches per game are the sixth-most in baseball. Is averaging 18.5 pitches per IP and 4.12 pitches per batter faced, are the highest and third-highest marks in MLB respectively.
DÉJÀ VU
Will face Kansas City in back-to-back starts … marks the ninth time he has faced the same opponent in consecutive starts in a season in his career and first since facing Detroit on 5/28 and 6/3. Is 5-2 with a 4.60 ERA (22 ER/43.0 IP) and 42 strikeouts in eight starts when facing the same opponent for the second time.
VS. KANSAS CITY ROYALS || A.L. CENTRAL
Is scheduled to make his 15th career start against the Royals and sixth at Guaranteed Rate Field … has allowed three earned runs or less in 11 of 14 career starts. Has not allowed more than two runs in a start at home, going 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA (4 ER/26.2 IP) and .135 (12-89) opponents average. Owns a 0-1 record, 9.58 ERA (11 ER/10.1 IP) and .370 (17-46) opponents average over two starts against the Royals in 2023 … both starts were at Kauffman Stadium. Is 2-3 with a 5.20 ERA (31 ER/53.2 IP), .252 (53-210) opponents average and 59 strikeouts over 10 starts against the American League Central in 2023.
GAME 2 STARTING PITCHER – #47 TOUKI TOUSSAINT RHP
TOUSSAINT AT A GLANCE
Is scheduled to make his 13th start (17th appearance) of the season and seventh (ninth) on the road. Owns a 3-6 record with a 4.70 ERA (35 ER/67.0 IP), .206 (49-238) opponents average, 44 walks and 63 strikeouts with the White Sox in 2023. Is 2-4 with a 4.19 ERA (16 ER/34.1 IP) over eight home games (six starts) this season. Has worked at least 5.0 IP in eight of his last 12 games (11 starts) … has struck out 57 during that span. Is limiting left-handed hitters to a .198/.355/.321 (26- 131) slash line with 30 walks and 28 strikeouts this year. Has limited right-handers to a career .221/.332/.363 (110-498) slash line, while lefties have hit .234/.388/.420 (89-381) against him. Opponents are batting .210/.369/.306 (13-62) with RISP and .111/.368/.148 (3-27) with RISP/two outs in 2023. Was claimed off waivers by the White Sox on 6/20 after being designated for assignment by Cleveland on 6/17. 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 START
Earned the win on 9/6 at Kansas City after allowing two runs on two hits (one home run) with three walks and six strikeouts in 6.0 IP … marked his first road win this year l Exited the game in the seventh inning with the White Sox leading, 5-2 … Chicago won, 6-4. Owned a 27.3 first-strike percentage and 6.6 swinging-strike percentage (six swing and misses) vs. 22 batters … threw 91 pitches (49 strikes) with the following pitch breakdown: 25 splitters (87.4 mph avg; 89.9 mph max),
23 curveballs (76.0 avg; 77.9 max) 22 sinkers (92.5 avg; 93.9 max), 19 four-seam fastballs (93.4 avg; 95.2 max) and two sliders (87.9 avg; 88.1 max).
TAKE ME HOME
Is 2-4 with a 4.19 ERA (16 ER/34.1 IP), .224 (28-125) opponents average, 18 walks and 35 strikeouts at home this year. Owns a 0.52 HR/9 IP (2 HR/34.1 IP) at home this season, the 10th-best mark in the American League (min. 30.0 IP). Is 9-8 with a 4.58 ERA (66 ER/129.2 IP), .219 (103-480) opponents average, 78 walks and 125 strikeouts lifetime at home.
START YOUR ENGINES
Will be making his 36th career start and 13th this year (12th with Chicago). Has gone 8-14 with a 5.34 ERA (97 ER/163.1 IP), .230 (138-600) opponents average, 99 walks and 171 strikeouts in his 34 career starts (five quality), compared to a 5-0 record with a 4.75 ERA (41 ER/77.2 IP) in 38 career relief appearances. Is 2-7 with a 5.54 ERA (32 ER/52.0 IP) in his 11 starts this year.
START STRONG
Is holding batters to a .148/.343/.241 (8-54) slash line in his first IP this year. His .148 opponents average in the first IP ranks fifth-best in the American League (minimum 65 PA). Is limiting opponents to a .191/.332/.340 (90-470) slash line the first time through the order lifetime.
WALK IT OUT
Is averaging 6.24 walks per 9.0 IP (49 BB/70.2 IP) this year, the third-highest among MLB pitchers (minimum 50.0 IP). Has walked at least one batter in 15 of his 16 appearances and four-plus in eight outings this year.
VS. KANSAS CITY ROYALS || A.L. CENTRAL
Is scheduled to make his second straight start against Kansas City (see “LAST START” note above). Has gone 3-1 with a 6.00 ERA (12 ER/18.0 IP), .235 (16-68) opponents average, seven walks and 18 strikeouts in five career appearances (four starts) against the American League Central.
