Sox Look For Series Victory Over Indians

Philip Humber, who has had a series of rough outings dating back to early July, will try to bounce back in the rubber match against Justin Masterson as the White Sox take on the Cleveland Indians Thursday night at the Cell.

Humber, 8-8 with a 3.67 ERA and 1.15 WHIP, has not had a quality start since July 2nd, when he pitched 7.0 shutout innings against the Cubs. Since then he's earned four losses and a no decision, and seen his ERA balloon dramatically. In his last start, against Baltimore, he threw 6.0 innings, giving up four runs on eleven hits and a walk, while striking out three. Humber has only made relief appearances against Cleveland, and currently has an ERA of 18.00 and WHIP of 4.00 after two innings thrown.

Justin Masterson, 9-7 with a 2.69 ERA and 1.17 WHIP, has been a bit of a hard luck starter for Cleveland. Though he's thrown well in the last month, he has just two wins since July 14th, out of six trips to the mound. In his last start, he once again received a no decision, after throwing 7.2 innings of two run baseball, giving up five hits and a walk, in a game that the Indians would later win. In his last start against the White Sox, he threw 7.0 innings, giving up four runs on four hits and a walk, while striking out six. Juan Pierre is 3-for-9 against Masterson, with two doubles.

The weather in Chicago is forecast to be partly cloudy and mild, with a game time temperature in the upper 70's. First pitch is at 7:10 P.M., CDT, and the game will be televised on CSN and STO-HD.