As the trading deadline approaches, the White Sox are still hanging in the AL Central race. Now, they'll try to grab a few games from the AL East leading Red Sox to make up ground on the Tigers and the Indians.
Starting the opener of the series will be Gavin Floyd, 8-9 with a 4.11 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. Floyd is coming off a start against Cleveland in which he got the win after pitching 7.2 innings of shutout baseball. He gave up just four hits while striking out five. In his last game against Boston, Floyd got the win after giving up four runs on nine hits and one walk over 6.2 innings pitched. David Ortiz is 2-for-3 this year against Gavin Floyd, with a double and a home run.
Tim Wakefield will start for the Red Sox, as he goes for the 200th win of his career. Wakefield, 6-3 with a 5.15 ERA and 1.36 WHIP, gave up seven runs in 6.1 innings in his last start, against Seattle, but got the win anyway. In his last game against the White Sox, Wakefield earned a no decision after giving up four runs on seven hits and a walk over 6.0 innings. Brent Lillibridge is 2-for-3 this year against Wakefield, with a double and a home run.
The weather in Chicago is forecast to be warm and clear, with a game time temperature in the mid-80s. First pitch is at 7:10 P.M., CDT, and the game will be televised on CSN, NESN, and MLBN.