Despite a 5-4 loss to the Royals on Sunday, the White Sox remain atop the American League Central as play begins on Monday. There’s no doubt. What’s happening in Chicago is one of the best storylines in baseball at the moment.
Conversely, the Orioles continue to struggle and underwhelm. Baltimore has dropped four of its last five contests, and now sit seven games below .500 as the month of June nears to a close.
Can the Orioles get back on track? Or will the White Sox keep winning? Let’s preview this tilt and make a couple picks on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
White Sox vs. Orioles prediction, preview
The White Sox aren’t exactly flush with starting pitching depth, but the club’s two mainstays at the top of the rotation this season have been Sean Burke and Davis Martin. The former will take the mound this evening in Baltimore. Burke has been especially good in his last six outings, pitching to a 3.15 ERA with a 29.3% strikeout rate over 34.1 innings. That stretch includes his last start on June 23, when he tossed 6.1 innings of one-run ball versus the Guardians — the team currently tied with Chicago atop the division. That said, Burke has allowed six long balls in his last four appearances. If there is a knock on the 26-year-old, it’s his propensity to give up launch angle, as evidenced by a 19th percentile ground ball rate (35.7%).
Whether the Orioles can take advantage of that flaw is another story. Baltimore’s lineup should be good. In fact, it should be great. Yet the once “young and promising” core of this squad has stagnated. Gunnar Henderson is hitting for power again after being limited to only 17 long balls in 2025, but that’s come at the expense of consistency. Over 385 plate appearances, Henderson is hitting just .221 with a career-low 95 wRC+. Former No. 1 overall pick Jackson Holliday, still only 22, has nearly 1,000 PAs at the MLB level to his name. He’s slashing .227/.299/.365 with an 88 wRC+. Adley Rutschman is finally hitting again, yet injuries have limited the backstop to a paltry 55 games this season. It’s simply not come together like many had assumed it would. Specific to the past two weeks, the Orioles own an 83 wRC+ with a 28.3% strikeout rate that ranks second in the league. It’s been poor to say the least.
Speaking of things that haven’t quite worked out for Baltimore, let’s talk some Shane Baz. The Orioles traded for the right-hander this offseason, then immediately inked the 27-year-old to a five-year, $68 million extension. The result? Well, it’s been a mixed bag so far. Baz is still flashing the velocity that always made him an appealing prospect, yet a 4.31 ERA and a 4.51 FIP aren’t exactly awe-inspiring statistics mid-way through the season. Baz has also seen his strikeout rate fall to a career-low 19.9% in Baltimore, due primarily to a career-low 9.1% swinging strike rate. These are not the trends that you want to see after investing heavily in a player. In his most recent outing, Baz conceded five earned runs and eight hits to the Angels in just five frames.
White Sox vs. Orioles pick, best bet
Best Bet: Sean Burke 6+ Strikeouts (-104)
Burke has cleared his prop in each of his last six outings. Now he’ll get the face the Orioles, who own the league’s second-highest strikeout rate over the past 14 days (28.3%).
Strong Lean: Under 9.5 (-113)
This total just feels a little high, especially give how poorly the Orioles have been hitting over the past two weeks. Burke and Baz are solid, if unspectacular, MLB starting pitchers. I don’t envision either lineup going wild.
