Blue Jays @ Chicago White Sox: Full series preview

Game 2: June 25 @ 2:10 ET

R.A. Dickey (4-8, 4.08 ERA, 4.85 FIP) vs.
Miguel Gonzalez (1-2, 4.29 ERA, 4.12 FIP)

Dickey really hasn’t been very good this year, yet he’s managed to put together a decent 4.08 ERA because he’s been able to out-pitch his peripherals. Those peripherals suggest he’s been worse this year than the last couple, and that he is nothing more than a borderline MLB starter.

However, this is a guy who has consistently been better than what his peripherals would project, so it really doesn’t come as a huge surprise. At the same time, he’s fairly reliable to go six or seven innings while issuing three to five runs. But at the end of the day, this game won’t be decided by Dickey, it’s in the hands of the Jays offence against Gonzalez.

Mind you, Gonzalez has had some success against the Jays throughout his time with the Orioles, as he put together a 2.99 ERA in 14 games (13 starts) against them, including two solid starts last year.

His strikeout ability is below average, and he relies on mixing speeds and location to generate weak contact as opposed to getting swings and misses. He uses a six pitch repertoire, throwing a four-seam, sinker, cutter, slider, curve and split at least 5% this year. His three most important offerings are his fours-eam, cutter and split, as he generally goes to the splitter or high fastball with two strikes.

His repertoire is diverse, but none of the offerings are plus; therefore, his ability to keep guys off balance is key for his success. He’s virtually the opposite of Rodon, as he relies on command and diversity as opposed to nasty stuff and two go-to offerings.

The Jays haven’t had a bunch of success against him, but I still think this is an excellent matchup for them. He hasn’t been great since joining the Sox, they’re very familiar with him, and this is a combination I like for Jays hitters Saturday afternoon.

Next: Game 3: Tough matchup for the Jays in the series finale