The White Sox have been a bit of a pleasant surprise thanks to a high octane slugging offense. The leader of that group has been cuban import rookie Jose Abreu who leads the Majors in homers and is second in RBIs. <\/p>\n
Chicago White Sox (15-17) vs. Chicago Cubs (11-18)<\/strong>
\n Monday May 5<\/strong>
\n Wrigley Field – Chicago, IL<\/strong>
\n 8:05PM<\/strong>
\n Probable Pitchers<\/strong>
\n CHW: \u00a0Jose Quintana (L)<\/strong>
\n CHI: \u00a0Jeff Samardzija (R)<\/strong>
\n Moneyline: Cubs -118, White Sox +108<\/strong>
\n Total: \u00a0OFF as of 10am ET<\/strong>
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White Sox<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Before the season started no one doubted his power but they thought the league would catch up to him quickly.<\/p>\n
I think both camps are right. The power is legit but he is hitting just .258. Perhaps the best result of Abreu\u2019s performance is that it takes a little pressure off of Adam Dunn.<\/p>\n
He is off to a very solid start hitting a Cobb-esque (for him) .278.<\/p>\n
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If Chicago had half decent pitching they might actually be in the race right now instead of 2 games under .500. \u00a0Their team ERA is almost 5 and their WHIP is the worst in the league right now.<\/p>\n
On this terrible staff lefty Quintana has actually been the shining star with an ERA at an even 4.
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\nSadly with Chris Sale out indefinitely he has become the ace by default. \u00a0His home numbers are much better so far this season.<\/p>\nCubs<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The Cubs saw their season high three game winning streak come to a close on Sunday Night Baseball against St. Louis.<\/p>\n
Not a ton was expected of this team this season but I think they were expected a little more punch from their offense this season.<\/p>\n
They may not be scoring a ton of runs but the fact that SS Starlin Castro is hitting well is a very good sign as he dramatically fell off last season. 1B Anthony Rizzo has also been a pleasant surprise too but really this club is counting down the days until they bring up their uber power hitting prospects.<\/p>\n
Jeff Samardzija is the ace of a surprisingly middle of the pack pitching staff. His 1.98 ERA leads the team and if he played for any team other than the Cubs he would probably have already earned a win this season – he is 0-3.<\/p>\n
Hopefully the futility isn\u2019t getting to him as he suffered his worst outing of the season the last time out against Cincinnati.<\/p>\n
Prior to that he had pitched at least 7 IP without giving up more than 2ER in every game this season.<\/p>\n
I am not sure that has become a rivalry yet because neither of these teams have really been good at the same time. I think that Samardzija can pick up his first win of the season in this one.<\/p>\n
I am hoping for a relatively low total too.<\/p>\n
If it is 8.5 or lower I will get behind the over as well.<\/p>\n