Due to the All Star Break, next week’s Major League Baseball schedule will be limited. However, with that being said, we have found one series that has caught our betting curiosity. Starting on Friday, the Chicago White Sox will host the Cleveland Guardians in a pivotal four-game series. These two teams are in a battle with the Minnesota Twins for supremacy of the American League Central.
At the time of this writing, the Guardians lead the Sox by ½ game. Both of them are trailing the Twins, with the Guardians being 4.5 games behind, and the Sox being 5 games out of first place. This division will only send one team to the playoffs, so winning the division will be the only way into the postseason. Let’s find out if this series between the Guardians and White Sox are worth betting against the MLB Lines.
Next Week’s Major League Baseball Series to Bet or Not to Bet On
Chicago White Sox
The White Sox have been one of the most disappointing teams in Major League Baseball. Many experts thought that the Sox would run away with the Central division, but because of injuries, poor play, and questionable managerial decisions, the Sox are now in 3rd place. But with all of the problems they’ve had, they’re still in a position to win the division.
Injuries have plagued the White Sox this year. Jose Abreu, Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert, Eloy Jimenez, Michael Kopech, Lance Lynn, Liam Hendricks, and Yasmani Grandal have all missed significant time with injuries this season.
Questionable managerial decisions have also played into the poor play of the Sox. Sox fans have been calling for Tony LaRussa to be fired. Twice this season, he has intentionally walked a hitter when the pitcher was ahead in the count. These are just two of the many questionable decisions that LaRussa has made this season.
Coming off of the All Star Break, LaRussa will be able to set up his pitching staff the way he wants it for the second half of the season. Dylan Cease has been the best Sox starter this season. We should see a combination of Cease, Kopech, Lucas Giolito, and Lance Lynn. Giolito and Lynn haven’t pitched well, but if they can get things straightened up, the Sox can make a run.
Cleveland Guardians
Many are surprised that the Guardians are playing as well as they are. Experts felt that they would try to trade Jose Ramirez to save money, but when they signed him to a huge extension, Cleveland showed everyone that they weren’t in rebuild mode. Ramirez has been great for Cleveland, and he is one of the main reasons that they’re playing so well.
Even though Shane Bieber hasn’t been great this season, he still leads the Guardians rotation. Bieber, along with Triston McKenzie, Zach Plesac, and Cal Quantrill should be the starters for the Sox series.
Betting Thoughts
Even though the Sox have been a mess this season, we think that they’re still the best team in the division, and this will be their time to step things up. Coming off of a nice break, we think the Sox take three out of four from the Guardians and get themselves set up for a nice run at the Twins.
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