A pair of right-handers with stellar ERAs but few victories will face off on Friday as the Chicago White Sox host the Seattle Mariners in the opener of a three-game series.
Seattle’s Emerson Hancock (2-1, 2.59 ERA) and Chicago counterpart Sean Burke (2-2, 2.72) know what it takes to keep their teams afloat, though receiving consistent run support has been another story.
After winning two of his first three starts, Hancock enters on a streak of four consecutive no-decisions despite allowing eight earned runs in 24 innings over that span.
On Saturday, he had a career-best 14 strikeouts over seven innings while allowing one run with no walks, but the Mariners lost to visiting Kansas City 3-2 in 10 innings.
“Things happen. It’s just the game,” said Hancock, whose lone start against the White Sox came in 2024 when he allowed two runs over seven innings of a no-decision. “The good thing is, we’ve got another day tomorrow.”
Burke was similarly dazzling on Saturday, scattering four hits and one walk with eight strikeouts over six shutout innings at San Diego. The Chicago bullpen finished off the shutout to hand Burke the win.
In his previous outing on April 26, Burke delivered 7 1/3 shutout innings of bulk relief in a 2-1 loss over 10 innings against the Washington Nationals. Burke brings a streak of 14 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings into the game.
To White Sox manager Will Venable, the key for Burke on Saturday was “just a lot of strikes.”
“(It) was the slider early,” Venable said. “Got a ton of swing and miss. Had a really nice fastball that got him through the back end of his start.”
Burke will be making his first career appearance against the Mariners.
Seattle and Chicago both enjoyed off days Thursday. A day earlier, the Mariners used six shutout innings from Bryan Woo, a Julio Rodriguez home run and three Cole Young hits to defeat the Atlanta Braves 3-1.
The Mariners dealt the Braves their first series loss this season.
“You definitely want to build on it,” Woo said. “I think that’s the only thing really that we’re looking for now, is just consistency. We’ve seen some really good stretches, and the next series would just kind of lose that momentum a little bit. We’ve got to start piecing some games together, piecing some series together.
“Obviously, we still have a long ways to go, but just finding that rhythm and consistency series to series.”
Chicago has started to channel consistency of its own. The White Sox have won six of nine as they return to Rate Field for a nine-game homestand.
Still, the White Sox are looking to pick up the pieces after losing two straight games to the Los Angeles Angels to finish 3-3 on a West Coast road trip.
Chase Meidroth had two of Chicago’s four hits in an 8-2 loss Wednesday. Colson Montgomery doubled for the only extra-base hit.
“We are in a really good spot,” Venable said after the defeat. “Go out West and get three wins against the Padres and these guys, it’s good overall and a couple of those losses were really hard-fought games. Today got away from us a little bit.”
–Field Level Media
