The White Sox and Braves take their series to the third game tonight with the White Sox holding a 2-0 advantage. The Sox send Gavin Floyd to the hill and the Braves send Derek Lowe. On paper, it might look like Lowe has the advantage, but over the last several games that Floyd has pitched he has been stellar.
In Floyd’s last 3 starts he has had 22 strikeouts but the stats belie that truth only showing him 0-1 with two no decisions. He has allowed very few runs and very few walks. With a little more run support he could have come away with 3 wins easily.
Lowe on the other hand holds a 9-5 record, but his last few starts he has given up large run totals. The one thing he seems to have though is total control. The sinkerball is working better than ever. He has walked only 9 in his last 5 starts.
The Braves have seen their NL East lead drop to just 0.5 over the Mets while the White Sox 8 game win streak has put them 3.5 back of the Twins. The Braves need this win far more than the White Sox do just to keep their heads above water. It hinges on the arms of these two pitchers. Which pitcher will show up? Which one will help deliver the win? And which one will leave their team possibly red, white, and blue all over?
© photo credit: Matt McGee
