The Seattle Mariners enter their road series with the Chicago White Sox on Monday in control or the final American League Wild Card spot and look to continue their surge in The Windy City.
Seattle Mariners (-185, 9) vs. Chicago White Sox
Entering Sunday, the White Sox were 26th in runs per game since the All-Star Break with 3.9 runs per game with the worst on-base percentage among American League teams in that span and overall this season draw the second-fewest walks on a per at-bay basis.
On Monday the struggling White Sox lineup have to try to hit Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo, who enters with a 3.23 ERA with 9.9 strikeouts and 2.2 walks per nine innings allowed.
Castillo has had an issue allowing home runs this season with 1.4 home runs per nine innings allowed, but gets to face a White Sox team that has hit the second-fewest home runs of any American League team since the All-Star Break.
Since the White Sox traded away Jake Burger at the trade deadline, who was second on the team in home runs, the team hit 14 home runs in their first 16 games in the month of August entering Sunday with a .280 on-base percentage in that span, which was tied with the Cleveland Guardians for the worst mark in the American win that span.
The White Sox turn to Touki Toussaint on the mound, who has a 4.44 ERA in 11 total pitching appearances and seven starts with the team, doing a good job of getting 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings, but that has come with 1.2 home runs and 6.2 walks per nine innings allowed.
Toussaint faces a Mariners lineup that has been hit of late with six or more runs in six of their last seven games, but still have their offensive issues, entering Sunday 20th in the league in batting average and owning the second-highest strikeout rate in the league.
Since July 1, the Mariners have a 2.42 bullpen ERA, which leads the league and overall are second in Major League Baseball in bullpen ERA this season and will help keep a struggling White Sox off the scoreboard on Monday.
The Play: Mariners vs. White Sox Under 9
