LDN - Sports

Preview: White Sox at Dodgers

[August 15, 2017] The Los Angeles Dodgers try to keep their amazing run of success going when they host the worst team in the American League - the Chicago White Sox - for a two-game set beginning Tuesday. Los Angeles (83-34), which is on pace to win 115 games - the major league record is 116 set by the Seattle Mariners in 2001 - hasn't lost in its last 19 series (16-0-3) and is 48-9 since June 7.

"I think we take pride in just how we play the game," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters. "When you're hearing things, people get ahead of things, different things in a Major League season happen, success, struggle, whatever it may be. For us each day to come in and win a game, that's the thing we're most excited about and obviously is a byproduct of us winning a lot of games." Los Angeles' Justin Turner (.346 batting average) continued his exceptional season in Sunday's 6-4 victory over the San Diego Padres with two home runs and has six of his 17 home runs and 12 of his 55 RBIs in the last eight games. Chicago (45-70) begins a six-game road trip after losing two straight to Kansas City, which came on the heels of winning four contests in a row and included a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros. The Dodgers' Alex Wood has won three straight starts since suffering his only loss in 15 decisions this season and opposes Miguel Gonzalez, who is 2-1 in his last four outings.

TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, WGN (Chicago), SportsNet LA (Los Angeles)

PITCHING MATCHUP: White Sox RH Miguel Gonzalez (6-10, 4.85 ERA) vs. Dodgers LH Alex Wood (14-1, 2.37)

Gonzalez allowed one run, five hits and one walk while striking out four in eight innings of a 7-1 victory over Houston on Wednesday in his second-longest outing of the season. The 33-year-old Mexican yielded one run, five hits and a season high-tying five walks in a 1-0 loss to Los Angeles on July 18 in his only appearance versus the Dodgers. Chris Taylor is 6-for-10 versus Gonzalez after going 2-for-3 against him last month.

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Wood permitted two runs, six hits and a walk while striking out four in six innings of a 3-2 victory at Arizona on Wednesday. The 26-year-old North Carolina native, who has never faced Chicago or any of its players, allowed four home runs in his last four outings after yielding two in his first 14 turns this season. Wood has permitted 83 hits and 30 walks versus 116 strikeouts in 110 1/3 innings this season.

WALK-OFFS

1. Los Angeles recorded three home runs and a double Sunday to extend its major league record to 57 games with at least two extra-base hits. The previous mark was 49 set by the 1937 New York Yankees.

2. White Sox rookie OF Nicky Delmonico became the first player in franchise history to reach base in his first 12 games. He is batting .364 with a home run, six RBIs, six runs scored and 11 strikeouts in 44 at-bats.

3. Dodgers 1B Cody Bellinger (.274, 34 home runs), the favorite to win the National League Rookie of the Year award, went 7-for-11 in the San Diego series with a homer, three RBIs, three runs scored and two walks.

PREDICTION: Dodgers 3, White Sox 2

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