Boston Red Sox vs. Chicago White Sox Betting Preview
Saturday afternoon will feature the second of a three-game series between the Boston Red Sox (40-37) and the Chicago White Sox (32-45). This game will be played at Guaranteed Rate Field, with the first pitch scheduled for 4:10 pm ET.
The Red Sox were able to take the opener of this series on Friday 3-1. In the victory, Brayan Bello got the win after allowing just one earned run over 6.2 innings. Rafael Devers hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning.
The Red Sox are the favorites to win this one despite playing on the road. They are -118 to win, while Chicago’s moneyline sits at +100. The runline features the White Sox +1.5 (-156), and the over/under for total runs is nine.
Red Sox Trying To Stay Competitive In Tough AL East
At 40-37, the Boston Red Sox would be winning the AL Central if they were in that division. Instead, in the AL East, they sit in dead last, 12 games out of first. Trying to stay competitive, they will look to improve on their 19-19 road record Saturday.
Taking the mound for the Red Sox will be veteran southpaw James Paxton. In seven games, the 34-year-old is 3-1 with a 3.29 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and he has struck out 51 in 38.1 innings. In his last three starts, he has allowed just five earned runs over 19.1 innings.
Offensively, Boston ranks sixth in the majors in scoring, averaging 5.08 runs per game (4.24 on the road). They are led by third baseman Rafael Devers, who is hitting .239/.302/.488 with a team-leading 18 home runs and 60 runs batted in.
White Sox Trying To Improve At Home
Despite sitting 13 games under .500, the White Sox sit just seven games behind the AL Central leading Minnesota Twins. While they have been lousy on the road (14-25), the White Sox would also like to improve at Guaranteed Rate Field, where they are just 18-20 to date.
Trying to help the team get back into the win column will be veteran Lance Lynn. The 36-year-old righty has really struggled this season, going 4-8 with a 6.51 ERA and 1.51 WHIP in 15 starts. In his last three starts, he has given up 12 earned runs in 17 innings of work.
Chicago’s offense has also struggled this year. They currently rank 24th, averaging 4.09 runs per game (4.19 at home).
Luis Robert Jr has had the most success in the lineup this year. In 278 at bats, he is hitting .263/.321/.529 with a team-leading 18 home runs and 48 runs scored. He also has 38 runs batted in.
Take Boston To Win On The Road
Looking at the trends, the Red Sox are 7-2 in their last nine games and 4-2 in their last six road games. In their last ten games against the White Sox, they are 7-3.
For Chicago they are just 1-4 in their last five games overall and 1-5 in their last six games at home. In four of their last five games, the UNDER has hit.
For as good as his career has been, Lance Lynn has flat-out struggled all season long this year. On the flip side, James Paxton has been throwing like a true ace as of late, and if the Red Sox are out of it come the trade deadline, he could be a hot commodity.
With the way their teams have been playing lately, it is hard to see those trends changing in this one. Take Paxton to shut down the White Sox and to help Boston pick up the win straight up (-118) on the road Saturday.
