For a moment, the Houston Astros looked dead in the water after getting swept coming out of the All-Star break. Now, they’re coming off a sweep of their own and showed signs of life once again heading into a weekend set against the Chicago White Sox, who lead the AL Central and have looked good since the season resumed. First pitch is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET at Rate Field.
Let’s dive in with a preview, prediction and pick for tonight’s Astros vs. White Sox game courtesy of odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Astros vs. White Sox prediction, preview
The Astros were swept by the Orioles coming out of the All-Star break, but they did just take all three games against the Marlins to bounce back. Now 50-54 on the campaign, they’re just two games back of the AL West lead but have a -45 run differential. The White Sox, meanwhile, are atop the AL Central at 54-47 and have a +44 differential themselves. They’ve also won four of their six contests since the break, too.
For Houston, it’s RHP Spencer Arrighetti (7-5) on the bump. He has a 4.34 ERA with a 1.31 WHIP, striking out exactly 87 hitters in his 87.0 IP. That’s good for a 23.1% K%, but a 12.7% BB% is in the bottom 10th percentile. The club’s bullpen brings a 4.20 ERA that ranks 18th, plus a 1.33 WHIP and a 12.6% K-BB%.
The opposing hurler is RHP Davis Martin (9-5), who’s put forth a breakout campaign even with some struggles lately. He carries a 3.31 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 97 punchouts in 106.0 IP, a 22.0% K%. He also has a 7.5% BB% as well. Chicago’s bullpen ranks 12th in ERA at 3.89 with a 1.31 WHIP and a 12.3% K-BB%.
This could be a very fun matchup in terms of offense, too. These bats are good on both sides, with the Astros averaging 4.55 runs per game and the White Sox at 4.78. The clubs are practically identical when it comes to overall OPS at .728 and .727, respectively. Both have standout power as well, with the Astros fourth in ISO (.171) and the White Sox sixth (.169), ranking third (142) and ninth (131) in homers. As for the right-handed splits, Houston slashes .244/.318/.420 for a .738 OPS while Chicago is at .243/.321/.412 for a .733 mark.
Astros vs. White Sox pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the White Sox as -131 Moneyline favorites at home tonight with the Astros set as +109 road underdogs. The run total sits at nine for this one.
This matchup is one where the offense should win out. Arrighetti has been cold for the most part since June, allowing three or more earned runs in six of his eight starts over this span with 10 earned runs allowed across three July appearances. Martin’s ERA has spiked to 5.54 in July with eight earned runs allowed across 13.0 IP in three starts, too. He’s prone to giving up hard-hit balls with a 22nd-percentile grade in average exit velocity and a 15th-percentile hard-hit rate. That’s something this power-hitting Houston order and Yordan Alvarez should key in on. Between the starters and the numerous other talented bats like Jeremy Pena, Munetaka Murakami, Colson Montgomery and more, there’s room for this over tonight.
