​CHICAGO — On the second stop of their three-city, nine-game trek to close out the first half of the season, the Red Sox are aiming for a fourth consecutive win Tuesday night. The host Chicago White Sox have been the surprise of the American League, boasting the league’s second-best home record this season, so this matchup won’t be easy. In recent years, Chicago hasn’t been a friendly venue for Boston; the Red Sox have gone 1-3-1 in their last five series at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Overall, Boston has trended well lately, winning eight of their last 10 games and 11 of their last 16, dating back to June 19. They just swept the Angels in Anaheim over the weekend, and in their last seven road series they hold a 23-21 mark, which is the second-best road record in the league. A victory tonight would allow interim manager Chad Tracy to reach a .500 record for the first time since his initial week on the job. Since Tracy replaced Alex Cora in the final week of April, the Red Sox sit at 30-31.
Boston will also be on the lookout for news regarding the potential suspension hanging over Willson Contreras today. In the meantime, Contreras has been named as a replacement on the American League All-Star team, with the All-Star Game scheduled for next week in Philadelphia.
Boston Red Sox (40-48) vs. Chicago White Sox (47-42) at Rate Field in Chicago, IL, Game 89. First pitch is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET. TV coverage will be provided by NESN, with radio coverage on WEEI 93.7 FM.
Probable pitchers for the matchup are LHP Payton Toll (4-6, 3.39 ERA) for the Red Sox against LHP Noah Schultz (2-5, 5.86 ERA) for the White Sox.
Projected Red Sox lineup features Willson Contreras at first base, while the White Sox will field Sam Antonacci in left field, Junior Perez at right field, Luisangel Acuna at shortstop, and Will Willson Contreras at catcher.
Other notes around the league: there’s chatter about Willson Contreras potentially becoming the first Red Sox’ HR Derby participant in 15 years, and discussions about a return to the mound for Patrick Sandoval after a long wait. Rangers’ Suarez provided a positive injury update, though his next start remains TBD, and a speedy Red Sox outfielder has had a suspension reduced, keeping him out Tuesday and Wednesday in Chicago. For more details, read the original MassLive article and consider adding MassLive as a preferred source for SEO, as this recap covers the key elements of tonight’s showdown between Boston and Chicago.