The White Sox will have their hands full on Wednesday night at the Cell as they find themselves with a two game set against the surprisingly red hot Cleveland Indians. At 26-13, the Indians are in first place in the Central Division, and also have the best record in baseball.
For the first game, the Sox will send newly returned starter Jake Peavy to the mound for his second start of the 2011 season. Peavy's first start of the year, against the Angels was mediocre, as bad fielding led to four earned runs over seven innings pitched. Though the Sox came back to win that game, Peavy still ended up with a no decision on the night and an ugly 6.00 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. In his career against Cleveland, Peavy is 1-3 with a 5.00 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. Asdrubal Cabrera is 3-for-7 lifetime against Peavy with a home run, while Shin-Soo Choo holds a .300 career average against the White Sox starter, also with a home run.
Pitching for the Indians will be Justin Masterson. Backed by strong run support, Masterson is off to a fantastic start on the year, and is currently 5-1 with a 2.73 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. Masterson faced the Sox once before this year, all the way back on April 3rd. He got the win in that start, after giving up just one earned run on seven hits over seven innings. In that game, A.J. Pierzynski was 2-for-3 with a double, while Carlos Quentin, Omar Vizquel, Adam Dunn, and Paul Konerko also collected hits.
The weather in Chicago is forecast to be cloudy and cold, with a game time temperature in the low-50s. First pitch is at 7:10 P.M., CDT, and the game will be televised on CSN.