Gamethread: White Sox at Angels

Happy Wednesday! After a great game yesterday, the Chicago White Sox (35-38) will play the Los Angeles Angels (36-41) for the series win tonight. This matchup will be a must-watch, as two of the best pitchers in the game go head-to-head. It’s gonna be another late one, so grab some caffeine and get ready.

The South Siders will face Shohei Ohtani, on the mound and at the plate. He currently has a 6-4 record, 2.90 ERA, and 1.01 WHIP with 90 strikeouts in 68 ⅓ innings pitched. He is coming off of his career night in his last outing against the Kansas City Royals, where he went eight innings with just two hits and no runs, and tied his career high in strikeouts with 13.

Ohtani has a wide variety of pitches, using his fastball most of the time (32.5%). He follows that with his slider (18.7%), changeup (17.4%), sinker (11.4%), curveball (10.1%), cutter (6.7%), and splitter (2.9%).

Michael Kopech will be on the mound for the White Sox, in his 14th appearance. He holds a 2-4 record, 2.59 ERA, and 1.01 WHIP. His last outing against the Baltimore Orioles was solid, as he went six innings with three hits and three runs. His strikeout total was only at two, but hopefully he can get that number up tonight.

He is doing great in his first year as a starter, and proving himself against a strong Angels lineup will be key. Kopech uses his fastball 64.2% of the time, which has great movement to it. He also relies on his slider (22.4%), curveball (12.9%), and changeup (0.5%).

Tim Anderson will lead it off, as Yoán Moncada is the 2-spot tonight. Luis Robert and José Abreu will follow, as Gavin Sheets is the DH. AJ Pollock is back in left field, as Leury García takes on right field. Josh Harrison and Reese McGuire will finish it off.

Watch on NBCSCHI with Jason and Steve, and listen in at ESPN 1000. Game time is at 8:38 p.m. CT.