In professional sports, there is nothing quite like a good rivalry game. There are a couple of different ways in which these rivalries develop and grow to the point where they become especially heated. Sometimes, it is teams who play in the same division, and who meet regularly, who end up sharing a high level of resentment. Then there are times when a rivalry develops even when teams very rarely go head to head.
This tends to happen when you have a pair of teams in the same city and you have a divided fan base that is often dependent upon which part of the city you live in. We are seeing one of those big rivalries in action this week, with the White Sox and the Cubs going head to head in the first of two 2-game series this season. The action started on Tuesday night, with the White Sox drawing first blood in a 3-1 win in hostile territory. The Cubs are back in as a 1 ½ run favorite on Wednesday night, with the run total for this one set at 7.
White Sox vs Cubs MLB Odds & Pick for Wednesday Night
- When: Wednesday, June 19 at 8:05 PM EST
- Where: Wrigley Field, Chicago
- Starting Pitchers: Giolito vs. Lester
- TV: MLB Extra Innings
- Radio: 670 The Score
- Live Stream: MLB.tv
- MLB Odds: Chicago Cubs -160 (Total 7)
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Why bet on the Chicago White Sox?
The White Sox are still very much hanging around in the American League Wild Card race despite sitting at just 25-36 on the season. They came into this series as the underdog, but the reality is that with their win on Tuesday night, they are just 4 wins worse off than the Cubs. The White Sox have now picked up 6 wins in their last 10 games, but they are still sitting 4 games below .500 on the road at 15-19 SU.While they are 12 ½ games out of the lead in the AL Central Division, the Chicago White Sox are now only 3 games out of the final Wild Card spot in the AL, although there are a lot of teams ahead of them at the moment. As a road dog, the White Sox are 15-15 ATS. It will be Lucas Giolito (10-1, 2.22 ERA) who gets the start here.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 4.30
- Hits: 8.49
- Walks: 2.54
- Strike Outs: 9.28
Defense
- Runs: 5.07
- Hits: 8.59
- Walks: 3.76
- Strike Outs: 7.85
Why bet on the Chicago Cubs?
The Chicago Cubs are keeping pace with the Milwaukee Brewers at the top of the NL Central, sitting a half game out of the lead, but no-one is really taking control of this division. The Cubs are sitting at 39-33 SU on the season, which is good enough to have them sitting in one of the two coveted Wild Card spots in the NL.
They are not having a good run of form at the moment, though, as they have now lost back to back games and are just 4-6 in their last 10 games. This is a team that is still very good at home, though, going 24-12 SU in their own ballpark. The Cubs are 20-16 ATS in games played at home. They will have Jon Lester (5-5, 4.08 ERA) on the mound for this one.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 5.06
- Hits: 8.46
- Walks: 3.94
- Strike Outs: 8.97
Defense
- Runs: 4.24
- Hits: 8.28
- Walks: 3.56
- Strike Outs: 8.65
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White Sox vs Cubs MLB Betting Trends
- White Sox are 3-7 SU in their last 10 games against Cubs
- The total has gone Under in 4 of Chi White Sox’s last 5 games on the road
- Cubs are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games
- The total has gone Under in 4 of Cubs last 5 games at home
- White Sox are 23-14 against the money line in night games this season
- Cubs are 396-326 against the money line as a home favorite of -125 to -175 since 1997
- Giolito is 1-1 when starting against Cubs with an ERA of 5.83 and a WHIP of 1.540
- Lester is 9-6 when starting against White Sox with an ERA of 4.13 and a WHIP of 1.257
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction for White Sox vs Cubs
You have to like the White Sox with Giolito on the mound, as he has now won 9 straight starts while posting a 0.94 ERA in his last 8 starts. The UNDER would appear to be the best bet for this one.Score: Chicago White Sox 3 – Chicago Cubs 2
