With just 15 runs total between the two teams in the first two games of their series, look for today's ChiSox-Twins game to follow that trend and go under.
Johan Santana (14-5, 3.10 ERA) toes the slab today for the Twins who will try to close the gap on the White Sox in the AL wild card race. Santana is 5-0 with a 0.73 ERA in his last five starts at the Metrodome.
The southpaw is 5-0 with a 3.50 ERA over his last seven starts, and 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA in three outings against the White Sox this year. Chicago's big hitters have struggled mightily against Santana. Right-fielder Jermaine Dye is hitting only .236 (9-for-38), while first baseman Paul Konerko is batting .128 (5-for-39) with 14 strikeouts in his career. Designated hitter Jim Thome is just .222 (4-for-18) batting against him.
The White Sox are hoping Javier Vazquez (11-7, 5.13) can come through with a superb performance to keep them in the game today. Vazquez's ERA is the highest among White Sox starters. He enters after another poor start in which he allowed four runs on seven hits in 5-1/3 innings in a 4-2 loss to Kansas City on Tuesday. The right-hander has been terrible in two starts against the Twins this year, going 0-2 with a 7.26 ERA.
The bottom line is Santana should shut down the White Sox and limit them to two runs or less, while Vazquez should be able to keep the White Sox in the game. The under is 8-0-1 in Minnesota's last nine home games and 9-0 in Minnesota's last nine games when they are the listed favorite. We look for those trends to hold true again today.
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White Sox at Twins - Aug 20th
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