Gamethread: Twins at White Sox

Can Chicago stop Minnesota’s surge?

It’s another game, another Hump Day! Speaking of humps, can the White Sox hurdle the Minnesota Twins and break up their nine-game winning streak? The answer is likely no, as the South Siders will probably blow another late lead and head into the weekend series on another losing skid. Seems like we’ve seen this storyline before, haven’t we?

Chris Flexen gets the afternoon start, seeking his second victory of the season. The 29-year-old was rough out of the gate for his first three games but was really solid on April 26 versus the Tampa Bay Rays. He surrendered no runs on only two hits with three walks and two Ks over five frames, earning him the win. But buyer beware as Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton have crushed Flexen over his career.

The Sox have called upon the bullpen much too often lately, so it would be advantageous in looking for the win today if the righthander could also go deeper into the contest. I won’t hold my breath.

Bailey Ober gets the ball for the visitors. The righty is in his fourth season as a piece of the Twinkies starting rotation, although this year looks to be, barring injuries, his first full year as a member of the five-man. His first start on March 31 was awful; he gave up eight runs and couldn’t get out of the second inning. The 28-year-old has improved significantly since then, going 2-0 with a 1.48 ERA over 24 1⁄3 innings and four starts in April. The Sox, though, specifically Gavin Sheets, Nicky Lopez, and Robbie Grossman, see the ball well against Ober.

Here’s the interesting lineup for the Good Guys today. Why Grossman is in at DH and Sheets is in right field makes zero sense to me, but then again, that’s pretty much the tune of White Sox baseball these days.

And for the red-hot Twins:

The first pitch is at 1:10 p.m. CST. You can watch the broadcast on NBCSCH or listen in on ESPN 1000.