The White Sox had a terrible start to the season, but come into tonight's game as winners of six of their last 10. Jose Abreu came up big at the plate yesterday in a 6-0 win over Cleveland, hitting a double and a home run going 2-for-4 with three RBIs. The Sox appear to be catching Kansas City at a good time, as they were shutout in a loss to the Twins last night.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Pitching - The White Sox will send ace Chris Sale to the mound today, and he was brilliant in a blowout win over the Tigers in his latest outing. Sale (2-0.25 ERA) allowed a pair of runs on just four hits over six innings, winning 12-3 at Detroit. He was 9-3 with a 2.36 ERA at Cellular Field in 2014. The Royals will counter with Yordano Ventura, who was roughed up in his last start.

2. Batter vs. Pitcher - Alex Gordon has more experience versus Sale than anyone else in the Royals lineup, and he's hit 2.45 lifetime versus the southpaw. He has 12 hits and 16 strikeouts over 49 career at bats.

3. X-Factor - Ventura allowed nine runs on 18 hits over 17 innings in three starts versus the White Sox last year. He was rocked for four runs on eight hits in just four innings in his only appearance at Cellular Field.

Selection: This is a play on the Chicago White Sox(7*)