Yes, the Chicago White Sox are above .500. Yes, you read that correctly. They're 25-24, sitting 3.5 back in the AL Central, and a big chunk of why is the guy taking the mound at Oracle on Friday. Davis Martin is 6-1 with a 1.61 ERA — third-best in baseball — and over his last three starts he's given up 2 earned runs in 19 innings with 26 punchouts.
Across the diamond, the Giants are the opposite story. San Francisco just got broomed in three by the Diamondbacks, they sit 20-30, and they're dead last in runs scored in MLB. They counter Martin with rookie Trevor McDonald (2-0, 2.37), whose three career big-league starts have produced 21 strikeouts against 1 walk. Per NBC Sports Bay Area, that line puts him next to Fernando Valenzuela in the record books for K-BB ratio through a first three starts. Not bad company for a guy nobody outside the Bay had heard of a month ago.
The line tells you the market doesn't fully trust either side here. Chicago opens as a tiny -105 favorite on the road, the total sits at 7, and the run-line price reflects what everyone watching has seen: two pitchers running hot, two offenses that are mostly running on fumes. The White Sox are 20th in MLB hitting .235 as a team. The Giants are last in runs. Take the under and go to bed, basically.
The injury column is doing a lot of work for both clubs too. The Giants are without Logan Webb (knee), Heliot Ramos (quad, at least two weeks per Tony Vitello), and Jung Hoo Lee is day-to-day with a back issue. Chicago is missing Austin Hays, Kyle Teel, and a parade of arms — Drew Thorpe, Ky Bush, Mike Vasil, Prelander Berroa — most of them with elbows that quit on them. Miguel Vargas is also day-to-day.
- Day-To-DayMiguel Vargas 3B — Vargas is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners.
- Day-To-DayMason Adams RP — The White Sox announced that Adams underwent successful Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILAustin Hays LF — Hays (calf) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment Tuesday, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILEverson Pereira RF — The White Sox placed Pereira on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to a right pectoral strain.
- 60-Day-ILKyle Teel C — Teel (hamstring) is expected to be sidelined an additional 3-to-6 weeks after suffering a sprained LCL in his right knee during a rehab game with Triple-A Charlotte on Saturday, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILPrelander Berroa RP — Berroa is dealing with right elbow inflammation and will have his rehab stint paused, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILMike Vasil RP — The White Sox transferred Vasil (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Tuesday.
- 60-Day-ILTanner Murray LF — The White Sox transferred Murray (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list Monday.
- Day-To-DayJung Hoo Lee RF — Lee (back) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
- 10-Day-ILHeliot Ramos LF — Giants manager Tony Vitello told reporters Saturday that Ramos will be shelved for at least two weeks due to a right quad strain, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
- 15-Day-ILLogan Webb SP — Webb (knee) will make a rehab start later in the week, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
- 60-Day-ILReiver Sanmartin RP — Sanmartin (hip) tossed a scoreless inning in Triple-A Sacramento's 11-6 win over Sugar Land on Tuesday.
- 60-Day-ILJason Foley RP — Foley (shoulder) earned a hold in Triple-A Sacramento's 6-5 loss to Round Rock on Wednesday, allowing one hit in a scoreless inning.
- 60-Day-ILJared Oliva CF — The Giants transferred Oliva (wrist) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.
- 60-Day-ILRowan Wick RP — The Giants placed Wick (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Sunday, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
- 60-Day-ILHayden Birdsong RP — Birdsong underwent successful UCL reconstruction surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Bottom line: this is a pitching showcase masquerading as a Friday-night Western swing opener. Martin has been MLB's quietest ace, McDonald has been MLB's quietest curiosity, and the offense behind both of them has been hard to watch. If you're tuning in, watch the strike-zone work. If Martin keeps painting like he did against the Angels (7 IP, 10 K, 0 BB on May 4), the Sox extend a streak that nobody in Chicago expected to be talking about in late May.