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The Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers square off on Monday with first pitch set for 7:10 p.m. EST. The game takes place at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. Lance Lynn will be making his first start of the season for the Sox, while Rony Garcia will be on the hill for Detroit.
The White Sox are in desperate need of some sort of spark right now, having lost 12 of their last 20 games, coming into this game having lost four of their last five and are falling farther behind in the AL Central standings. Perhaps Lynn, who hasn’t thrown in an MLB game since October of last year, can be that spark. He was stellar last year with an ERA under 2 in his time with the Sox last season and was set to once again be a key piece in the rotation for the Southsiders. However, knee surgery has put him on the shelf all year up until now.
Detroit is just behind Chicago in the divisional race and can make up some ground during this series. They’ve won three of their last five, so theoretically they’re playing better than the White Sox right now, though neither team is looking like a playoff contender at the moment. Garcia has been a bullpen guy most of the last few seasons, but he was moved to the rotation about a month ago after a slew of injuries ran through the Tigers' pitching staff. He’s been OK in his time as a starter, throwing 28 innings and allowing 14 earned runs while striking out 33 batters. Don’t expect him to go deep into the game though, with his high water mark being 5 innings this year.
Chicago White Sox vs. Detroit Tigers
Pitchers: Lance Lynn vs. Rony Garcia
First pitch: 7:10 p.m. EST
Tigers local broadcast: Bally Sports Detroit
White Sox local broadcast: NBC Sports Chicago
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)
Odds, picks & predictions
Point spread: White Sox -1.5
Run total: 8.5
Moneyline odds: Tigers +115, White Sox -135
Moneyline pick: Tigers +115
Garcia hasn’t been the best this season, but Lynn is bound to show some rust during his first start in nearly 10 months. He also probably won’t be able to go very deep into the game as a precaution to make sure he’s 100% back after rehab. The Tigers have also been better over the last week or so, which isn’t saying a ton, but at least they’ve won more than one of their last five games.
Player prop pick: Austin Meadows Over 0.5 home runs (+550)
This one is a definite long shot. Meadows has yet to hit a single home run since moving over to the Tigers from the Rays in the offseason. He also has just one hit against Lynn in his career. However, that lone hit was a home run and Lynn will theoretically be trying to get back in a groove in his first start of the season, so everything is going in the Tigers hitter’s direction.
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