Chicago White Sox at Los Angeles Angels Betting Preview
Wednesday evening features the rubber match of an American League battle as the Chicago White Sox (35-38) take on the Los Angeles Angels (36-41). Los Angeles will host this one at Angel Stadium, with the first pitch scheduled for 9:38 pm ET.
After the White Sox dropped the opener 4-3, they bounced back with an 11-4 win on Tuesday. In the win, Johnny Cueto went six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out five.
The White Sox offense erupted in this one for 17 hits, including two home runs. Tim Anderson, Luis Robert, and Jose Abreu all had three hits, while Josh Harrison led the squad with three runs batted in.
For the Angels, starter Chase Silseth lasted just 4.1 innings after giving up three runs on five hits. The bullpen didn’t do much better, though, as they allowed another eight runs on 12 hits.
The offense did blast three home runs, including Mike Trout’s 23rd and Shohei Ohtani’s 17th of the season. For Ohtani, he finished the night three for three with two runs batted in.
The Angels are the favorites playing at home Wednesday. They are -188 to win while the moneyline for the White Sox sits at +158. The runline features Chicago +1.5 (-138), and the over/under for total runs is 7.5.
White Sox Still Looking To Live Up To Expectations
As the preseason favorites to win the AL Central, the White Sox are still trying to find some consistency in their game to live up to those expectations. At 34-38, they are third in the division, 6.5 games behind the first-place Twins.
Luckily for Chicago Wednesday, they have played better on the road (19-17) than they have at Guaranteed Rate Field (16-21).
Trying to win both the game and series in the finale is young righty Michael Kopech. In 13 games this season, he is 2-4 with a 2.59 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and has 57 strikeouts in 62.2 innings of work.
He is coming off of back-to-back losses as he has allowed a combined seven runs on ten hits over his last 11 innings. One of the biggest issues in his last start, against the Orioles, were free passes as he gave up four walks.
Offensively, the team is led by slugging first baseman Jose Abreu. In 271 at bats, he is hitting .273/.367/.443 with a team-leading nine home runs and 41 runs scored. He also has 35 runs batted in (second on the team).
Against the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, the White Sox have struggled, albeit in limited at bats. In a combined ten at bats, White Sox batters still have yet to get a hit off of him.
Angels Struggling To Live Up To Star Power
Over the last eight seasons, either Mike Trout or Shohei Ohtani have won the American League MVP award four times. Still, despite their superstars, the Angels have struggled to find success in their division, let alone in the playoffs.
Coming into play Wednesday, they sit at 36-41, 12 games behind the Astros in the AL Central. If they hope to make a run at a postseason spot, they will certainly need to play better ball, especially at Angel Stadium, where they are just 20-23.
Taking the ball in the finale is one of those MVP winners, Shohei Ohtani. Trying to defend his award from last season, Ohtani has the second-best odds of winning the MVP this year at +260.
On the mound, he is 6-4 in 12 starts with a 2.90 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and has 90 strikeouts in 68.1 innings of work. In his last three starts, he has given up just one earned run on nine hits over 21 innings while striking out 25.
He is getting it done offensively, too. After his big night Tuesday, he is now hitting .268/.351/.511 with 17 home runs, 49 runs batted in, 46 runs scored, and eight stolen bases.
The only player hitting better is the other perennial MVP candidate, Mike Trout. In 242 at bats, Trout is hitting .285/.389/.653 with 23 home runs, 46 runs batted in, and 52 runs scored.
Take Angels To Win Finale
This one really just comes down to one player, Shohei Ohtani. For as good as Michael Kopech has pitched this season, Ohtani has just been on another level over his last few starts on the mound.
If the White Sox can even find a way to scrape a few runs together, they would be sitting pretty. For that reason, taking the runline might not be an awful avenue, but it is still just hard to bet against an Ohtani-led Angels team at this point.
For that reason, take the Angels to win on the moneyline at -188.
