Chicago at Minnesota

The Twins failed to make their annual late run to the playoffs, and in fact this season they have made a tremendous fade down the stretch as they are now 8-15 over their last 23, and have packed it in. The once reliable pitching staff has surrendered over five runs a game over this 23-game stretch. Scott Baker has pitched admirably, but his early success, where the Twins owned a 7-3 record in his starts, have dropped to 6-6 over his last 12. The White Sox are now 6-3 over their last nine, and appear to be in a better frame of mind than the Twins. The Pale Hose staff has surrendered just over three runs a game in this stretch, and today send Javier Vasquez to the hill. After the White Sox endured a 1-9 stretch in games started by Vazquez, they have now enjoyed an 11-5 run over his last 16. His ERA has been in the 3's since late June, and he has by far been their most consistent starter. We like the Sox to go up 2-0 in this series.