Monday’s MLB slate brings plenty of games from coast to coast, but we’re honing in an AL Central series opener as the Detroit Tigers (68-51) battle the Chicago White Sox (43-75) on the South Side of the Windy City. The Sox offense has produced surprisingly well lately and it looks like they might have a chance in this one, even against one of the American League leaders.
Here’s a White Sox vs. Tigers prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for Monday evening.
White Sox vs. Tigers prediction, preview
Shockingly, these two squads have just about swapped in the win-loss column since the All-Star Game. The White Sox still hold one of the MLB’s worst records but they’re actually 11-10 over that span, while the Tigers are just 9-13 over the same sample.
This slump has been a brutal one for Detroit as they deal with the second-lowest OBP of any team at a paltry .289, so until the bats wake up, it’s not hard to see why they’re struggling at 20th in scoring with 93 runs. It’s a stark contrast from the White Sox, whose 120 runs over the same span rank third in baseball. They’re also sixth in average at .271 and fourth in OPS at .802, but the really fun part is that Chicago’s bashed 40 homers, the most of any team. It seems the White Sox may finally have unlocked some of their potential on offense, which marks a major building block for the rebuilding franchise if it sticks moving forward.
In this evening’s contest, a recent acquisition starts for the White Sox. Elvis Peguero (4.91 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, five SO) only threw 7.1 innings in relief for the Milwaukee Brewers this season before he was waived, after which Chicago picked him up. He gets his first start of his MLB career against Chris Paddack (4.91 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 88 SO) who the Tigers added during trade season.
White Sox vs. Tigers pick, best bet
The Tigers enter Monday’s game as -149 Moneyline favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook while the White Sox hold +122 odds to win. The run total for this one sits at nine, one of the higher marks on today’s slate.
It feels a bit bizarre to say Chicago might deserve to be favorites over Detroit in this contest, especially with how these two teams’ records look to this point. It’s tough to downplay how good the White Sox offense looks in recent weeks, and it’s even more difficult to see the Tigers struggling in such fashion after they dominated opponents through the first half of the campaign. Both of these lineups feel bound to revert to their prior form at some point, but it’s difficult to predict when exactly that’ll happen.
Admittedly, it’s somewhat tough to trust Peguero tonight given his MLB numbers this season and the fact the veteran makes his first start tonight against a contender. However, Paddack’s ERA doesn’t look great this year either and he throws some hot-and-cold outings with four or more earned runs in three of his last five starts, but one earned run in the other two of those contests. The matchup on the mound may be closer than we think, and while Detroit’s batting order certainly includes more talent than their opponents, they haven’t gotten the job done lately.
The White Sox bullpen also very quietly ranks 10th in ERA and ninth in strikeouts this year, though they’re 18th in WHIP thanks to a tendency to give up walks. Still, their 3.76 ERA does surpass the Tigers’ 4.19, and Detroit’s bullpen sits just a hair ahead of Chicago’s with a 1.29 WHIP compared to 1.32. If Peguero can throw a decent game and even just limit damage, the White Sox offense can probably outscore this slumping squad and pull off the upset.
Best bet: CHI White Sox ML (+122)
Click the odds on this bet to tail!
