The Chicago White Sox (3-5, 3-5 RL, 7-1 O/U) take on the Pittsburgh Pirates (5-2, 5-2 RL, 3-4 O/U) in the second of a three-game interleague series on Saturday evening. The White Sox give the starting nod to Mike Clevinger. The Pirates will have Vince Velasquez on the hill. This is the first meeting since the 2021 season and Pittsburgh recorded a 13-7 win on Friday.
The White Sox will have Mike Clevinger on the mound for the second time of the season. Clevinger was brilliant in his White Sox debut, completing five shutout innings against the Astros, and struck out eight batters. The veteran right-hander has battled injuries in recent seasons and yielded a 4.33 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP to go with a 7-7 record in 114.1 innings pitched with the Padres last season. Clevinger had several marvelous seasons in Cleveland and is sporting a 3.36 career ERA. He has yet to pitch against the Pirates in his career.
Chicago is playing the second of a six-game road trek in this one. They opened the season on the road in Houston and came away with two wins in four meetings. They had a disappointing home series this week, losing two of three bouts against the Giants, squandering 31 runs, and allowed 13 runs on Friday.
Hanser Alberto + Luis Robert Jr. = #WhiteSox up 3! pic.twitter.com/bH95f8zlZw
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 5, 2023
The White Sox are clicking at the plate after scoring seven runs on Friday. Yoan Moncada has been outstanding, sporting a .414 average with two bombs and five RBIs. The 28-year-old slugger only had 51 RBIs in 104 games last season but has the potential to reach 100 RBIs. Moncada has recorded two RBIs and a .683 OPS in 40 career at-bats against the Pirates
Chicago is scoring an average of 4.50 runs per game, ranking them 19th. The pitching staff has been horrible, carrying a 6.90 team ERA, placing them last.