You look at the MLB schedule on any given week and you see some match-ups that look to be about as one-sided as it gets. When you have a top team going against one that is struggling, the belief is that the division leader will go out and easily take care of business. Things seldom work out that way, though, as it really is incredibly tough to beat the same team 3 or 4 times in a row, even when one team is markedly better than the other.
When you look at how well the Houston Astros have been playing of late, you certainly felt that they would be able to take care of the Chicago White Sox, especially with the Astros playing in their own ballpark. It certainly looked like that was going to be the case through the opening 2 games of this 4-game set, but the White Sox delivered a stunner on Wednesday night. These two teams will hook up again on Thursday night in the final game of this series. The Astros are favored by 1 ½, with the run total set at 9.
White Sox vs Astros MLB Week 8 Betting Lines & Prediction
#WhiteSox topple #Astros, become fourth team in last 40 years to turn triple play, hit grand slam in the same game.
Recap: https://t.co/m77g1kitid pic.twitter.com/gjdxrhlQOU — Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) 23 de mayo de 2019
- When: Thursday, May 23, 8:10 PM EST
- Where: Minute Maid Park, Houston
- Starting Pitchers: Giolito vs. Martin
- TV: MLB Extra Innings
- Radio: Sports Radio 610 AM
- Live Stream: MLB.tv
- MLB Odds: Houston Astros -165 (Total 5)
How to Bet Braves vs Giants MLB Spread & Game Analysis
Why bet on the Chicago White Sox?
The White Sox have the serious misfortune of playing in a division that is being totally dominated by the Minnesota Twins. That said, Chicago is not exactly doing much to keep themselves in the picture, going just 5-5 in their last 10 games to take their season record to 22-26. They are now 10 games out of the top spot in the division, with the possibility of them getting back into the playoff hunt not looking particularly promising right now.
The White Sox looked totally outclassed in the opening two games in this series, losing both and getting outscored 8-1 over those games. That made their 9-4 win in the third game all the more surprising. They are now 11-13 SU on the road and 12-9 ATS as a road dog. It will be Lucas Giolito (5-1, 3.35 ERA) who gets the start.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 4.35
- Hits: 8.38
- Walks: 2.67
- Strike Outs: 9.65
Defense
- Runs: 5.17
- Hits: 8.75
- Walks: 4.02
- Strike Outs: 7.92
Why bet on the Houston Astros?
It really was quite unusual to see the Astros drop the game against the White Sox on Wednesday night, especially in their own ballpark, where they have gone 18-5 SU this season. At 33-17 overall, the Astros are quickly emerging as one of the teams to beat this season, which is not that surprising given that they are just a couple of seasons removed from winning the World Series.
They are now 8-2 SU over their last 10 games, but they are also a very impressive 9-1 ATS during that run, with the loss on Wednesday breaking their great run of covering the spread. As a home favorite this season, the Astros are 14-9 ATS. The Astros will send Corbin Martin (1-0, 3.86 ERA) to the mound for this one.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 5.40
- Hits: 9.48
- Walks: 3.78
- Strike Outs: 7.00
Defense
- Runs: 3.52
- Hits: 6.58
- Walks: 2.48
- Strike Outs: 9.60
Red Sox vs Blue Jays MLB Lines & Pick for Thursday Night
White Sox vs Astros MLB Week 8 Betting Trends
- White Sox are 14-9 against the money line in night games this season.
- Astros are 45-36 against the money line in home games in night games over the last 2 seasons
- 2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season
- Giolito is 0-3 when starting against HOUSTON with an ERA of 7.31 and a WHIP of 1.625
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction
If you were to pick a game that the White Sox might win in this series, this would likely have been the one, as they generally do well when Martin is on the mound. I just have a tough time seeing the Astros dropping back to back games at home.
Score: Chicago White Sox 3 – Houston Astros 6
