Probable starter Cease for the White Sox has only averaged 4.1 innings in his last 5 starts. Over that same stretch his ERA is 8.22 and his WHIP is an abysmal 2.09. The relievers available for Wednesday have an ERA a full 2 runs higher than the Orioles bullpen. Although probable starter Gibson has an ERA of 6.75 and WHIP of 1.38 over the same stretch, he has managed a 4-1 record, while Cease has stumbled to a 1-3 record.

Over the last 7 games the White Sox have scored 4.1 runs/9 innings and given up 6.0 runs/9 innings while the Orioles have numbers of 5.3 and 3.0 over the same span. This is a direct result of the White Sox being in the middle of the pack for avg. and OPS over the last 15 days while the Orioles have been in the top ¼ of the majors over the same time span.

The White Sox’ August (trade deadline sellers) has seen them slip to a 9-16 record while the Orioles (division leaders) August has seen them achieve a 17-8 record. Wednesday will see more of the same so the clear play is the Orioles.