• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

White Sox-Angels Preview

Sep 11, 2009 - 6:11 AM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Writer

Chicago (70-71) at Los Angeles (84-55), 10:05 p.m. EDT

A string of strong starts has helped the Los Angeles Angels maintain a firm grasp on the AL West lead, but if the Chicago White Sox want to stay in the AL Central picture at all, they may have to slow down the Angels' red-hot staff.

The White Sox open a key six-game West Coast trip Friday in Anaheim, where the Angels will be looking for a fourth straight victory both overall and from left-hander Joe Saunders.

Los Angeles (84-55) has used an impressive run from its starting pitchers to win eight of 11 and keep a five-game lead on Texas in the West.

Angels starters have a 1.53 ERA in that stretch, punctuated by John Lackey's eighth career shutout in Thursday's 3-0 win over Seattle, which completed a three-game sweep.

"The best way to stay on a roll is not to analyze this one too much and get ready for the next one," Lackey said.

Saunders (12-7, 4.97 ERA) has won all three of his outings since an August stint on the disabled list, compiling a 2.08 ERA in those games. He allowed 10 hits in 5 1-3 innings Sunday at Kansas City but minimized the damage in the Angels' 7-2 victory.

"Joe wasn't quite as sharp as in his last couple of starts since he came back," manager Mike Scioscia said. "He was up in the zone a little bit. It seemed like he struggled to get in good counts."

He'll try to do better against the White Sox, who have a .167 average against Saunders in four meetings since the start of 2007. The southpaw lost to Chicago on May 26 despite a quality start, but he's 2-1 with a 2.22 ERA in his last four outings against the White Sox.

Chicago (70-71) needs wins desperately as it tries to make up ground on first-place Detroit in the Central. A 1-9 stretch from Aug. 23-Sept. 1 derailed the club's playoff push, but it has since rebounded with six wins in its last eight games.

After the White Sox gained ground on the Tigers following their 4-3, 13-inning win over Oakland on Wednesday, they inched within six games Thursday after Detroit's loss to Kansas City. Chicago plays the Tigers six times in its final nine games, but first must focus on this trip, which continues in Seattle next week.

"All we can do is try to win games and try to forget about Detroit," reliever Octavio Dotel said. "Hopefully they lose, but don't worry about them, just think about ourselves and do our best. That's the only thing we can do now."

The White Sox have had plenty of concerns on the road, where they are 30-39, but they haven't had to worry too much about right-hander Gavin Floyd lately.

Floyd (11-9, 3.84) retired the first 17 batters he faced against Boston on Saturday, finishing with a 5-1 victory after allowing three hits and a run and striking out 11 in eight innings. He has a 2.62 ERA in his last 20 starts, among the top 10 in the majors over that span.

"He's a big guy and he's got some deception to him," Red Sox outfielder Jason Bay said. "He's been real tough, keeping guys off balance."

Floyd is 1-1 in two starts against the Angels this year despite allowing just four earned runs in 16 innings. The White Sox have won four of six against Los Angeles, which would need a sweep this weekend to secure its first victory in the season series since 2005.