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 "The last (three) series have been really good for us,'' White Sox
right-hander David Robertson told reporters Wednesday after
recording his seventh save. "We've had a good atmosphere in the
dugout, the guys have been playing really hard, the offense is
coming through, the pitching is doing well. We're just playing a lot
better brand of baseball now." Chicago first baseman Jose Abreu, the
2014 AL Rookie of the Year, has raised his batting average 20 points
to .288 during a nine-game hitting streak while right fielder
Avisail Garcia (.322) went 4-for-9 with a home run in the final two
contests in Milwaukee. Oakland (13-23), last in the AL West, opened
its six-game homestand by losing two of three to Boston and is 5-11
at O.co Coliseum. White Sox rookie Carlos Rodon looks to build on
the success of his first career start and opposes Jesse Hahn, who is
0-2 with a 7.63 ERA in his last three turns.
TV: 10:05 p.m. ET, CSN Chicago, CSN California (Oakland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: White Sox LH Carlos Rodon (1-0, 2.92 ERA) vs.
Athletics RH Jesse Hahn (1-3, 4.73)
Rodon yielded two runs and struck out eight - all swinging - in six
innings of an 8-2 victory over Cincinnati on Saturday while throwing
as fast as 99 miles per hour. "Felt real comfortable,'' the
22-year-old North Carolina State alum told reporters. ''Just the
same old thing, different ballgame.'' Rodon, who faces Oakland for
the first time, began his major-league career this season by
yielding two runs in 6 1/3 innings over three relief appearances.
Hahn yielded six runs (four earned), eight hits and three walks in 5
1/3 innings of a 7-2 loss in Seattle on Saturday as Oakland
committed four errors, including one on an errant pickoff throw by
Hahn. ''I can't knock these guys,'' the 25-year-old Connecticut
native told reporters. ''They are trying as hard as they can; I'm
trying to make pitches, they are trying to make plays. It's on me in
the first place, letting those runners get on base, putting them in
a tough position.'' Hahn, who was 1-1 with a 2.12 ERA in his first
three starts of the season, faces Chicago and its players for the
first time.
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WALK-OFFS
1. Oakland OF Coco Crisp snapped an 0-for-26 slide to start the
season (0-for-39 dating to last year) with a single in the fifth
inning Wednesday in his eighth game since returning from right elbow
surgery in early April.
2. The White Sox, who are 4-12 on the road, have scored 10 runs in
the first inning this season - fewest in the AL - after recording
three Wednesday.
3. Chicago won the 2014 season series 4-3 (despite getting outscored
34-18) but has lost seven of the last eight meetings in Oakland,
while the teams split 30 overall encounters since 2011.
PREDICTION: White Sox 3, Athletics 2
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