Home, Sweet Home - Game Preview & Lineups 6/30

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A three game winning streak helped cool the burn that was an otherwise abysmal 11-game road trip. The three wins in Toronto helped the White Sox end the trip a merely 4-7, far better than it could have been.

The White Sox return home Monday night for the first of a six-game stand, their final six at U.S. Cellular Field before the All-Star break. Their foe for the 7:10 p.m. first pitch is the Los Angeles Angels and Garrett Richards, a 26-year-old right-hander whose blossomed into a fine rotation piece for the team from Anaheim this season.

Richards comes into the start at 8-2 with a 2.76 ERA, and his peripherals match those numbers as he sports a solid 2.78 FIP and 3.42 xFIP. He's only allowed four home runs this season, which can partially be credited to a massive home park, but while his ground ball % is down from previous seasons, his K/9 of 8.82 is a career-high. Richards' primary pitches are a fastball, slider and sinker. This will be his first career appearance against the White Sox.

On the other side of things Monday night will be Hector Noesi, who continues to define logic by putting together starts ranging from "quality" to "inexplicably good" since joining the White Sox's rotation. He's coming off of a seven inning effort against Baltimore in which he allowed just two earned runs in scattering nine hits. In his last four starts he's struck out 15 and walked just four.

I'd be remised to make it through this entire article without mentioning that the Angels also feature a guy named Mike Trout, who is both amazing and terrifying. Good luck, Hector.

White Sox Lineup:                                                            

  1. Adam Eaton – CF

  2. Gordon Beckham – 2B

  3. Conor Gillaspie – 3B

  4. Jose Abreu – 1B

  5. Adam Dunn – DH

  6. Alexei Ramirez – SS

  7. Dayan Viciedo – RF

  8. Alejandro De Aza – LF

  9. Tyler Flowers – C

Hector Noesi – SP

Los Angeles Angels Lineup:

  1. Kole Calhoun – RF

  2. Mike Trout – CF

  3. Albert Pujols – 1B

  4. Josh Hamilton – LF

  5. Erick Aybar – SS

  6. Howie Kendrick – 2B

  7. C.J. Cron – DH

  8. David Freese – 3B

  9. Hank Conger – C

Garrett Richards – SP

Where to Watch: Today’s game will be broadcast on WCIU. 7:10 p.m. Central start time.

 

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