In an unusual twist on Thursday, there are no West Coast games on the MLB schedule, and the latest-starting one is an interleague matchup between the struggling Milwaukee Brewers and surging White Sox from the South Side of Chicago. The Pale Hose are favored on the MLB odds.
Brewers vs. White Sox – MLB Odds & Picks
How to Bet Brewers at White Sox MLB Odds & TV Info- When: Thursday, 8:10 PM ET
- Where: Guaranteed Rate Field
- Probable pitchers (away/home): Josh Lindblom/Gio Gonzalez
- TV: MLB Extra Innings
- Stream/gameday audio: https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/
- Opening MLB Lines: White Sox -125, Brewers +115 (total 9)
As of Wednesday, the Brewers are 4-16 over their last 20 games against the White Sox, including 1-6 over the last 7 games. The Brewers are 2-8 over their last 10 games at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The Brewers have been a huge disappointment so far in large part because 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich has been nothing short of terrible. Entering Wednesday, Yelich was just 3-for-34 this season, his stretch since joining the Brewers. Only Jurickson Profar (.086) has a worse batting average among players with at least 30 at-bats in the majors.
In addition, Justin Smoak isn’t hitting either, going 5-for-31 with a 15/1 K/BB ratio from the middle of the Brewers’ lineup. He has just one RBI. Fortunately for him, the injury to Ryan Braun and decision to opt out by Lorenzo Cain has allowed Smoak to stay in the lineup.
Ben Gamel, who entered the season as an extra outfielder, is currently leading the team in RBI (7) and is tied with Keston Hiura for the team lead in HR (2). Gamel is batting an even .300 (6-for-20) on the season and has started at all three outfield positions.
It’s Josh Lindblom (0-0, 4.91) on the mound here. Lindblom made an early exit from his start last Tuesday against the Pirates after experiencing back cramps as a result of dehydration, but Brewers manager Craig Counsell told reporters that the 33-year-old right-hander is “good to go.”
Lindblom signed with Milwaukee as a free agent in December 2019. He pitched the majority of 2015-19 in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) with the Lotte Giants (2015-17) and Doosan Bears (2018-19). Lindblom went 63-34 with a 3.55 ERA in 130 starts in Korea, including 35-7 with a 2.68 ERA in 56 starts over the last two seasons, winning consecutive Choi Dong-Won Awards, which represents the KBO Cy Young Award equivalent.
Lindblom was named 2019 KBO Most Valuable Player after going 20-3 with a 2.50 ERA in 30 starts. His only career appearance against the White Sox came in relief with the Dodgers on 6/16/12 at Dodger Stadium (1ip, 1bb, 1k).
Why Bet on Chicago White Sox?The Pale Hose have been a pleasant surprise and are largely crushing the ball. However, they could be a bit short-handed here. Edwin Encarnacion departed Tuesday night’s game against the Brewers due to left shoulder soreness. Encarnacion was 1-for-2 with a single and a strikeout before getting replaced by Zack Collins in the DH spot in the top of the sixth inning.
Good-looking rookie second baseman Nick Madrigal was removed from Tuesday’s game due to an apparent left wrist/forearm injury. Madrigal singled to right field in his first plate appearance of the evening, but he got thrown out while trying to go first-to-third on a Luis Robert single to center and came up holding his lower left arm. Madrigal was selected by Chicago with the fourth overall pick in the 2018 draft after a standout career at Oregon State.
Shortstop Tim Anderson, last year’s AL batting champion, is already on the injured list with a right groin strain. The White Sox also placed left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon on the 10-day injured list with shoulder soreness Tuesday.
It’s lefty and former Brewer Gio Gonzalez on the mound. He wasn’t originally in the rotation but took the place of Reynaldo Lopez, who landed on the IL after injuring his shoulder in his first turn through the rotation.
Gonzalez (0-0, 7.36) blanked the Royals on Saturday over 3 2/3 innings with six strikeouts. Gonzalez was fortunate to not allow a run in the contest, as he gave up five hits and three walks to go along with the aforementioned strikeouts. Gonzalez made his White Sox debut on July 28 vs. Minnesota, allowing six runs on seven hits over 3.2 IP in relief.
Gonzalez is very tough on lefties, holding them to a .228 average in his career, the ninth-lowest mark among left-handed pitchers since 2008. He has surrendered 31 home runs to left-handed hitters in his career, tied for the third-fewest among lefties in baseball (minimum 1,700 batters faced).
Expert Prediction- White Sox 6, Brewers 4
