Picks, predictions for White Sox vs. Yankees on Thursday, June 8

After Wednesday’s series opener was postponed due to poor air quality in New York City, the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees will play a traditional doubleheader on Thursday. First pitch of game one is set for 4:05 p.m. ET from at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. The pitching matchup features two erstwhile aces looking to bounce back from rough starts, as Lance Lynn (4-6, 6.55 ERA) gets the ball for the South Siders while New York turns to Luis Severino (0-1, 5.28).

The Yankees enter as -170 favorites on the moneyline at DraftKings Sportsbook, while Chicago is a +145 underdog. The run total is set at 8.

White Sox-Yankees picks: Thursday, June 8

Injury report

White Sox

Out: RP Jimmy Lambert (ankle)

Yankees

Out: OF Harrison Bader (hamstring), RP Ian Hamilton (groin), SP Carlos Rodon (back), RP Jonathan Loaisiga (elbow)

Starting pitchers

Lance Lynn vs. Luis Severino

Lynn seemed to have turned a corner after a miserable start to this season, but he took a step back in his last time out, coughing up eight runs on eight hits and two walks over just four innings against the Los Angeles Angels. The veteran still has swing-and-miss stuff when he’s commanding his fastball and cutter, with K and whiff rates above league average, but he’s catching the heart of the plate way too often and getting punished for it. Lynn has given up a whopping 14 homers on the year while allowing four or more runs seven different times.

Severino looked to be back to his old self after returning from a spring shoulder injury, allowing just two runs and five hits over 11.1 innings in his first two starts of the year. But the righty took an alarming step back last time out against the Los Angeles Dodgers, getting tagged for seven runs on nine hits in four frames while taking the loss. Severino’s velocity was noticeably down in L.A., and while team and pitcher both insist he’s feeling fine, it has to be a red flag considering his checkered injury history. When Severino is on, he’s a legit ace, but we don’t know which pitcher we’ll get on Thursday afternoon.

Over/Under pick

In just the past couple of weeks, we’ve seen both of these pitchers put up both excellent starts and awful ones. Both Lynn and Severino showed how low their floors can be last time out, but I’m betting on a bounce-back here: The White Sox have struggled all year against righty pitching, with a team wRC+ that sits 27th in baseball, while New York’s lineup has scored more than four runs just once in their last five — and that was with Judge’s fearsome presence in the middle.

Pick: Over 8

Moneyline pick

Trying to figure out what either of these pitchers will do feels like a total coin flip — either one could shove or give up seven runs in three innings. So I’m going with the coin flip that comes with plus odds, as well as the offense that has a bit more firepower at the moment. Luis Robert Jr., Eloy Jimenez and Co. are slowly but surely starting to round into form, and I have more faith in Chicago’s lineup than New York’s sans Aaron Judge.

Pick: White Sox