Sox at Royals, Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, 7:10 P.M. CDT:
It may seem improbable, but the Sox are continuing their road trip by traveling to take on the first place team in the AL Central -- the Kansas City Royals. Of course, it's less than a week into the 2011 season, so Royals fans should probably enjoy the brief stint at the top while it lasts.
Sox fans have also been enjoying the start to the season. With the exception of one stinker against Cleveland, the White Sox have been firing on all cylinders. A few bullpen hiccups have been mitigated by quality starting pitching and a dynamic new offense, revived with a healthy Carlos Quentin and the new addition of Adam Dunn.
Gavin Floyd will take the mound for the Sox today, and look to improve his record against Kansas City. Floyd is 3-7 against the Royals, with a lifetime ERA of 4.79. His opponent, Luke Hochevar, has had a slightly easier time with Chicago, going 3-3 with a lifetime 3.65 ERA against the White Sox. Because current hot hitter Carlos Quentin is only 2-8 lifetime against Hochevar, the Sox will have to hope that Alexei Ramirez will provide the offensive spark plug on Tuesday evening. Ramirez is 6-for-13 with 3 walks against Hochevar, though he has started the 2011 season on a down note, hitting just .154 over the first three games.
Tonight's game will be televised on CSN Chicago+.