New York @ Chicago preview
Guaranteed Rate Field
Last Meeting ( Aug 28, 2010 ) NY Yankees 12, Chi. White Sox 9
The New York Yankees look to take two out of three from the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular field on Sunday after their offense carried them through Saturday’s win.
The Yanks smashed out 14 hits and four home runs on their way to a 12-9 victory on Saturday. They normally don’t need that kind of output with ace CC Sabathia on the mound, but the big lefty had a bit of an off day even though he earned his major league-leading 18th win of the year.
Sabathia gave up five runs and two dingers over seven innings, striking out nine while walking one.
New York has now scored at least nine runs in six of its last 10 games.
The Yankees look to keep the hot sticks going as they send rookie Ivan Nova (0-0, 3.38) to the mound in just his second major league start. Nova has some nasty stuff with a heater that hits the mid-90s, a good curveball and a decent changeup.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder has a smooth delivery that allows his fastball to sneak up on hitters while he keeps them off-balance with the curve. The Yankees are working with him so that he’s more comfortable pitching on the inner half of the plate and hope he develops more of a killer instinct.
He took a no-decision in his first major league start, a 3-2 loss at Toronto that saw him give up two runs on six hits.
Gavin Floyd (9-10, 3.91 ERA) gets the ball for the White Sox. Floyd snapped a two-game funk in his last outing, allowing two runs over seven innings while striking out six in a 7-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Floyd had given up 13 runs over two starts leading up to his win over the O’s.
New York’s Mark Teixeira is expected to be in today’s lineup after leaving Saturday’s game in the second inning. Teixeira, who hasn’t missed a game all year, hurt his thumb Friday while trying to track down a foul ball and then tweaked it Saturday while fouling off a pitch in the first inning.
Meanwhile, there’s still no word on whether Manny Ramirez will join the White Sox after Chicago won his waiver claim. Playoff rosters are due on Tuesday, so his situation should be figured out before then.
The Yankees (79-50) remain tied with the Tampa Bay Rays at the top of the American East, while Chicago sits 4 1/2 games back of the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central.