Starting Monday, the Los Angeles Dodgers play host to the Chicago White Sox for a three-game interleague series.
The White Sox sit in 2nd place in the A.L. Central, avoiding a weekend sweep on the Southside with a 4-1 victory over the San Diego Padres.
The Dodgers have lost four out of five, losing 5-3 Sunday in the rubber game of their weekend series with the Pittsburgh Pirates - a loss which puts them 7.5 games behind the N.L West-leading San Francisco Giants.
Snapshot:
Home: Los Angeles Dodgers
Record: (30-28, 12-17 home, 2nd N.L. West)
Away: Chicago White Sox
Record: (29-29, 12-15 road, 2nd A.L. Central)
Season Series: no games played
Key stat:
This series pits two of the top scoring teams in baseball. The White Sox have scored 261 runs (5th out of 30), while the Dodgers have scored 250 (7th).
Dodgers outlook:
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly isn't worried about the team's recent stretch of inconsistency, even as the team falls farther and farther behind the division-leading Giants.
“What I don’t want to do is just accept where we’re at,” he said, via Steve Dilbeck of the L.A. Times. “I like the thought of maybe making sure we’re playing with a sense of urgency. That’s important to me that we’re playing with a sense of urgency, that each game is a game that we need to win and it’s not like, `Oh, we’ll wait for the second half and then we’ll go on a run.’ ”
With the S.F. Giants tearing apart Major League Baseball with a Majors-best 36-20 record, the Dodgers will have to find that "sense of urgency" as soon as they can with the calendar turning to June.
White Sox outlook:
Once again, Chris Sale saved the day.
Facing a home sweep at the hands of the San Diego Padres, the White Sox ace dominated on Sunday - giving up just two hits, striking out nine and walking none in a 4-1 complete game victory.
Sale's effort was crucial for a White Sox offense that mustered just seven runs in the three-game set with the Padres - a problem which hopefully could be solved as soon as tomorrow.
Sensational rookie slugger Jose Abreu is expected to be activated off the 15-day disabled list on Monday, adding his 15 home runs and 42 RBIs back to a lineup that desperately needs it.
What to watch for:
25-year Jose Quintana (3-4, 3.61) faces the pitching duel of his young career on Monday, as he opposes two-time N.L. Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw (3-2, 3.57) at 10:10pm EST.
Kershaw hasn't quite been himself since coming back from a shoulder injury - posting a 4.08 ERA in five May starts.
Quintana, on the other hand, leads all qualified White Sox pitchers with a 1.26 WHIP as he looks to gain a bit of national recognition for his efforts with a marquee victory on Monday night.
What they are saying about the Dodgers:
Yasiel Puig won't have any of that stupid shift (Sons of Steve Garvey)
Where's the love for Matt Kemp? (The Orange County Register)
What they are saying about the White Sox:
Jose Abreu expected to be activated on Monday (Yahoo! Sports)
Will the White Sox trade infielders at the deadline? (Southside Showdown)
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