Saturday afternoon baseball and we will see the Chicago White Sox take on the Chicago Cubs in game 2 of their 3 game series from Wrigley Field in Chicago. Free Pick to follow. First pitch is scheduled for a 4:05 PM (Eastern) start time and the game will be televised locally.
Betting Odds
White Sox +108
Cubs -118
Over/ Under: 6.5 O -120
The White Sox took game 1 of this series in a pitcher's duel, winning the game 1-0. The White Sox have been on a roll of late as they have now won 8 of their last 10 games, but they are still 4 games under .500 for the year and in last place in the AL Central. The Cubs had been playing well, but they have now lost 2 in a row and have fallen 10 games behind the Cards in the NL Central. The White Sox are 17-27 on the road, while the Cubs are 24-19 at home for the year. The White Sox rank 29th in scoring (3.40 rpg), while on the mound they are 20th in ERA (3.94). The Cubs rank 23rd in scoring (3.89 rpg), while on the mound they are 5th in ERA (3.33).
Trends for this game include: The White Sox are 6-0 in Sale's last 6 interleague starts, but just 1-8 in their last 9 interleague road games vs. a left-handed starter, while the Cubs are 6-0 in their last 6 home games vs. a left-handed starter, but just 1-6 in their last 7 interleague home games vs. a team with a losing record.
Getting the ball for the White Sox tonight will be Chris Sale, who is 7-4 with a 2.80 ERA in 16 starts this year, while on the road he has gone 4-3 with a 3.40 ERA in 8 starts. Chris has 2 relief appearances vs the Cubs and has allowed 3 hits and 0 runs in 2 innings of work.
Taking the hill for the Cubs tonight will be Jon Lester, who is 4-7 with a 3.48 ERA on the year overall, while at home he has gone 3-2 with a 3.26 ERA in 10 starts. Jon is 6-5 with a 4.38 ERA in 13 career starts vs the White Sox.
Pick: Going to go with the Under in this one. Jon Lester has pitched very well of late as he has a 2.00 ERA in his last 3 starts, but thanks to weak run support has an 0-2 record in those games. at home this year he is 3-5 with a 3.26 ERA and his mates have scored just 2 rpg for him at home. His home starts have averaged just 5.2 rpg. Chris Sale has also pitched well this year and comes in with a 3.04 ERA and an 0.97 WHIP in his last 3 starts, with those games averaging just 5.33 rpg. Chris has allowed more than 2 ERs in just 1 of his last 8 starts and the Cubs have hit just .222 as a team at home this year. The Sox have allowed just 2.3 rpg in their last 10 games, with those games averaging just 5.2 rpg, while the Cubs have allowed just 2.5 rpg in their last 10 games, with those games averaging just 6 rpg. Both offenses are weak here, while the pitching has been very good for both and that shold equal another low scoring game.
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