Brantley looks to continue hot steak against Samardzija, White Sox
Jeff Samardzija appears to be the most enticing and available trade option possessed by the Chicago White Sox.
With his club looking to avoid a fifth straight defeat, Samardzija could be making one of his last starts for the visiting White Sox on Thursday night against the Cleveland Indians.
While Chicago (42-50) could be listening to offers for ace Chris Sale, Samardzija (6-5, 4.08 ERA) likely has the more realistic chance of being dealt among any of its pitchers or position players. Following Wednesday's 3-2 loss to St. Louis, the White Sox have been held to one or two runs five times while losing six of seven since winning nine of 11.
The team's current state coupled with Samardzija likely to test the free agent market after the season, leaves him in a similar position to last year when the crosstown rival Cubs sent the right-hander to Oakland in early July.
Manager Robin Ventura said Samardzija doesn't seem phased by the trade rumors.
"Some of it can be noticeable, but other times you don't notice it," Ventura told MLB's official website. "Some guys suppress things like that, some guys just don't care and continue to play. The job here is to not let it get in the way and let it get in the way of what you're doing on the field."
Samardzija, whose 132 1-3 innings rank fifth in the majors, has lasted at least seven in eight straight starts. However, he allowed a pair of homers, three walks and four runs over seven innings of a 4-2 loss to Kansas City on Friday.
He gave up six hits in six innings of a 6-0 win over Cleveland (45-48) on April 22, but makes his first appearance at Progressive Field.
Michael Brantley went 0 for 3 with a strikeout against Samardzija in that contest but is batting .415 (17 for 41) with three homers and 13 RBIs in his last 11 games. He went 4 for 5 with a three-run homer and drove in another during Wednesday's 7-5 victory at Milwaukee.
Though he's batting .222 against the White Sox this season, Brantley has recorded six of his team-leading 55 RBIs in seven of those meetings and four during Cleveland's three-game series winning streak.
"Plain and simple, do whatever I can to get the runners in," Brantley said. "The more runs we have, the better chance we have to win. It's no secret."
Trevor Bauer (8-6, 4.03) is 2-0 with a 1.33 ERA in three starts against the White Sox this season but looks to rebound after he allowed five runs and seven hits, including two homers, in four innings of a 6-1 loss at Cincinnati on Friday. The right-hander, who had not pitched since July 8, believes his extended rest over the All-Star break played a factor in his rough outing.
"Not pitching in nine days was a little tough," he said. "It was a different feeling from what I've had the rest of the season."
It's uncertain what reason Bauer has for serving up half of his 14 home runs while posting a 6.35 ERA during a 2-3 stretch.
Jose Abreu is 6 for 13 with a double against Bauer, but Melky Cabrera is 0 for 10.
Teammate Adam LaRoche is batting .148 (4 for 27) with one RBI and 12 strikeouts against Cleveland this season, and .140 (8 for 57) with three RBIs in his last 19 contests overall.
