Orioles center fielder Adam Jones picked a good night to connect on his first home run of the season. The 22-year-old outfielder was honoring Jackie Robinson by wearing Robinson’s No. 42 jersey as part of baseball’s celebration for the player who broke the color barrier. The Orioles were also honoring Jones with a promotion that gave fans a chance to collect a free T-shirt with his name and usual No. 10 on it.

Jones rebounded nicely from a poor showing in Tampa Bay. In the two-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays, he was 4-for-5 with a home run and three walks. He raised his batting average to .279 on the season.

Starting tonight, the Chicago White Sox come to Camden Yards for a two-game series. They recently split two games with the Oakland Athletics, including a 4-1 victory yesterday.

The White Sox are 8-5 this season and ranked fourth in the American League with a 3.91 team ERA. Last weekend, they notched back-to-back shutouts over the Detroit Tigers, including one in a game started by Mount St. Joseph graduate Gavin Floyd, who is scheduled to pitch against the Orioles on Thursday night. The 25-year-old pitcher has never faced his hometown team, so it should be an interesting game to watch.

Pitching matchups

Wednesday 4/16: Adam Loewen (0-0, 7.45) vs. Jose Contreras (0-1, 6.17)
Thursday 4/17: Jeremy Guthrie (0-1, 4.34) vs. Gavin Floyd (2-0, 2.03)

Who you should play from the White Sox

Jermaine Dye, RF – In 44 career games at Camden Yards, Dye is hitting .310 with 10 home runs and 33 RBIs. So far this season, he is hitting .340 with one home run and four RBIs. He’s never faced Adam Loewen in his career, but Dye is 2-for-2 with a home run and two RBIs against Jeremy Guthrie. Look for the veteran right fielder to provide a few highlights during the two games in Baltimore.

Who you should bench from the White Sox

Joe Crede, 3B – Don’t be fooled by Crede’s numbers coming into this series. For the season, the third baseman is hitting .313 with four home runs and 16 RBIs, but he is 2-for-16 in his last five games. One of those two hits was a grand slam against the Tigers on Sunday. He’s only hitting .176 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in 24 career games against the Orioles. Crede has also never faced Loewen and is 0-for-1 against Guthrie.

Who you should play from the Orioles

Brian Roberts, 2B – Despite going 0-for-3 in last night’s loss, Roberts has been hitting well lately. The second baseman had three consecutive two-hit games prior to last night. He’s hitting .308 with one home run, five RBIs and five stolen bases so far this season. In his career, Roberts is hitting .290 with 12 stolen bases in 34 games against the White Sox, including 9-for-26 with a home run and three RBIs against Jose Contreras.

Who you should bench from the Orioles

Aubrey Huff, DH – It’s OK if you picked Huff up after he went 4-for-4 against the Texas Rangers on April 8. Just make sure he isn’t starting during this series against the White Sox. Although he has relatively good numbers against Contreras – 5-for-17 with a home run and three RBIs – Huff is 3-for-22 in his last six games and shouldn’t be given the opportunity to drive down your fantasy team’s numbers. In his career, Huff is a much better hitter during the second half of the season, so it might be a good idea to keep him on your bench and use him more after the All-Star break.