Wednesday afternoon will see another battle of aces as John Danks searches for his first win of the season, and Oakland counters with young hurler Brett Anderson. The Sox hope to not only get a victory and series win, but to do so without having to go to extra innings for a third game in a row.
Danks has pitched relatively well in his two starts this season, giving up two and four earned runs, but is still winless after the Sox couldn't hold on. He's currently 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. Against Oakland over his career, Danks is 4-1 with a 2.48 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. The lefty handles most of the A's well -- Kurt Suzuki and Hideki Matsui both have .OPS numbers below .450 against Danks -- but he'll have a few threats to contend with in their lineup. Kevin Kouzmanoff is 2-for-3 against Danks with a home run, David DeJesus is batting .400 against him with two doubles, and Daric Barton is 5-for-11, also with two doubles.
Going for the Athletics will be Brett Anderson. Anderson, who finished last year with a 2.80 ERA and 1.19 WHIP, is currently 0-1 with a 1.93 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. Against the White Sox, however, he's 1-1 with a 4.88 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. Gordon Beckham and A.J. Pierzynski both hit him well. Beckham is 3-for-8 with a double, and A.J. is 3-for-6.
The weather on the South Side today is expected to be sunny, with a high in the low 60's. First pitch is at 1:10 P.M. CDT, and the game will be televised on CSN and CSNCA.