Both the Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox have dreams of reaching the playoffs this season, but both teams are going to need a solid final few months. Oakland opened up the second half of the regular season with a 5-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Friday night. These two teams will meet up again on Saturday in what should be another terrific matchup.
Oakland has now won four of its last five games to improve its record to 51-41 on the season. The Athletics are still six games out of first place in the American League West but are in a great position in the Wild Card race. Chicago fell to 42-45 on the season with the loss in the series opener, and have plenty of work to do to get themselves back in the playoff picture. The Oakland Athletics are -137 over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday.
Abreu Powering White Sox Lineup
The White Sox have one of the most impressive groups of young prospects in baseball, but it has been a veteran leading the way this season. All-Star first baseman Jose Abreu is leading the team with 21 home runs and 66 runs batted in this season. Abreu will be a free agent after the season, but the White Sox simply can’t afford to let him go. Shortstop Tim Anderson is hitting .317 this season but has cooled off in recent weeks.
Chicago is set to activate Dylan Covey off of the injured list to make the start on Saturday. Covey hasn’t pitched in over a month, and there could definitely be some rust in this one. The right-hander has made just seven starts this season and is 1-4 with a 4.58 earned run average. Chicago needs to find a way to keep the A’s from hitting homers in this one.
Bassitt Set to Start For A’s
The Oakland Athletics have an extremely underrated starting rotation, but they continue to put up impressive numbers. Right-hander Chris Bassitt will make the start for Oakland in game two of the series, and he has been a solid pitcher all season long. Bassitt will be making his 15th start of the season and has gone 5-4 with a 4.29 earned run average. The A’s need six solid innings from Bassitt before turning things over to their dominant bullpen.
Oakland blasted three solo home runs on Friday night, and they have now hit a whopping 148 long balls as a team. All-Star third baseman Matt Chapman leads the team with 21 home runs and 52 runs batted in, but there is plenty of thunder in this lineup. Shortstop Marcus Semien is the only player hitting over .270, but the A’s can slug with the best of them in the American League.
Oakland Beats White Sox Again
The White Sox are an up-and-coming team, but they still have a long ways to go. The Athletics have been a great second half team in recent seasons, and they should make another solid run this season. Look for Oakland to use the long ball to earn a second straight win over Chicago. Bet the Athletics -137 over the Chicago White Sox.
