Sean Burke: Everything you need to know

Burke didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Twins after allowing two runs on three hits and two walks across seven innings. He struck out eight. Burke finally pitched past the fifth inning -- something he hadn't accomplished since May 2 -- and delivered a strong outing, matching his previous season-high mark in strikeouts. The lack of consistency has been an issue for Burke, but it's worth noting he has allowed two or fewer runs in four of his last six starts. However, a couple of subpar outings over that stretch mean he carries a 3.74 ERA in that span. Burke, who has a 3.90 ERA and 1.15 WHIP across 11 starts this season, is scheduled to make his next start over the weekend at home against the Tigers.

Burke didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the Mariners, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out five. It's the third straight start that Burke has failed to make it out of the fifth inning. He's given up 12 runs in 13.1 innings in that span after posting a 2.72 ERA in his first seven outings this year. Overall, Burke is 2-3 with a 4.08 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 46:14 K:BB across 53 innings this season. He'll look to get back on track his next time out, currently scheduled to come next week at home against the Twins.

Burke didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 10-5 loss to the Cubs, allowing four earned runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out five batters across 4.1 innings. Burke put the Sox in an early hole by allowing consecutive singles to Alex Bregman and Ian Happ to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Burke bounced back and kept the North Siders off the scoreboard for the next two frames, but he allowed a combined seven batters to reach base during the fourth and fifth, inflating the Cubs' lead to 4-1 at the time of the 26-year-old's removal. The Pale Hose tied the game at four apiece in the sixth inning, taking Burke off the hook for the loss, but that does little to help the fact that he's given up 10 earned runs in 8.2 innings over his last two starts. He'll have a chance to redeem himself next week when he takes the mound in Seattle to face a Mariners offense that ranks in the bottom third of MLB with a .232 batting average.