The Arizona Diamondbacks will aim to continue their recent dominance of the host Chicago White Sox on Monday in the opener of a three-game series.
Arizona has won the past five series dating to 2014 and boasts a 9-3 road record as part of its 17-7 overall record against the White Sox.
While the White Sox have the most losses in the American League at 53, they’re coming off a weekend series victory in Toronto. The Blue Jays took two of three from the Diamondbacks before Chicago came to town.
Sunday’s come-from-behind 4-2 victory gave Chicago its first series win in Toronto since 2019. Miguel Vargas delivered a go-ahead, two-run double with two outs in the eighth inning.
Vargas is batting .428 (12-for-28) with 19 RBIs this season with two outs and runners in scoring position.
Arizona brought the tying run to the plate with two outs in the ninth inning Sunday but was denied a three-game road sweep of the slumping Colorado Rockies, losing 4-2.
Despite the defeat, the Diamondbacks have won eight of 12 to climb over the .500 mark. Manager Torey Lovullo has lauded the bullpen as a key to the recent run. On Sunday, Kevin Ginkel contributed a scoreless inning for the second time in the series as he regroups after a recent stint at Triple-A following an ineffective May.
“We’re looking to get him on a roll in any way that we possibly can,” Lovullo said. “We know what he’s capable of doing.”
Randal Grichuk sparked Arizona’s offense with two hits and two RBIs. Josh Naylor extended his hitting streak to 11 with a fourth-inning single.
White Sox rookie right-hander Shane Smith (3-4, 2.85 ERA) will get the call Monday as he faces the Diamondbacks for the first time.
Smith gave up six runs (five earned) and six hits in 4 1/3 innings Tuesday as the White Sox suffered a 12-2 home rout against St. Louis. It was the first time in 14 career starts that Smith yielded more than three earned runs.
With Smith again working on extended rest — last Tuesday’s start marked his first since June 10 — he’s adjusting his approach.
“Instead of frontloading the work in the week and then leaving the rest of the days to kind of relax, if I have the seven days, making sure the back half of the week still has work involved and not as much recovery,” Smith said. “You’re still gonna do it, but making sure that balance is there.”
Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (2-4, 5.93) is set to start for Arizona. He took the loss in Toronto on Wednesday despite yielding just two runs (one earned) and six hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Rodriguez has allowed at least one home run in seven of his past eight starts and issued three walks or more in four of the past six outings.
Rodriguez is 4-0 with a 3.36 ERA in 10 career starts against the White Sox with 59 strikeouts in as many innings.
Arizona’s Ketel Marte has 10 hits in the past four games.
–Field Level Media
