Gamethread: White Sox at Pirates

Tonight will mark the beginning of another two-game series between the White Sox (26-15) and Pirates (13-26). The first series between these teams went extraordinarily well for the South Siders. Not only did the White Sox sweep that series while outscoring the Pirates by a score of 14-3, but Lucas Giolito also threw a no-hitter.

Dylan Cease will be tonight’s starting pitcher for the White Sox. On the season, the 24-year-old righty has a 3.29 ERA, 6.32 FIP, and 5.85 xFIP. As FanGraphs uses a FIP-based method of calculating WAR for pitchers, FanGraphs says he is a sub-replacement level player so far (-0.2 WAR). Cease is a perfect example of a young pitcher who has a ton of talent but has not harnessed it. Though Cease’s ERA is low, luck has been on his side, and he has a lot of room for improvement.

Starting on the mound for the Pirates will be 27-year-old right-hander Joe Musgrove, who has a 6.62 ERA, 5.75 FIP, and 4.47 xFIP. According to FanGraphs, those numbers render him a replacement level (0.0 WAR) pitcher. Throughout Musgrove’s five-year career, he has a 4.46 ERA, 4.01 FIP, 4.12 xFIP, making him worth 7.2 WAR during his time in the majors.

Here are tonight’s starting lineups:

Tonight’s game will start at 6:10 CST. As per usual, WGN 720 will have the radio coverage, NBC Sports Chicago will televise it. Let’s hope the White Sox can get another win against Pittsburgh.