Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox Betting Preview
Kick-off the week with a battle of A.L. Central rivals as the Minnesota Twins (39-53) take on the Chicago White Sox (56-36). The White Sox will host this one at Guaranteed Rate Field, with the first pitch scheduled for 8:40 pm ET.
This will be the first of a four-game set between the two division rivals.
Coming into this series, the Twins were swept by the Detroit Tigers over the weekend. For the series, they were outscored 13-4 and were shutout in two of the three games. In Sunday’s loss, the Twins managed just six hits and no runs in a 7-0 drubbing.
For the White Sox they were able to win both the game and series against the Houston Astros on Sunday. After dropping the first game, they got back-to-back brilliant pitching performances from both Lucas Giolito and Carlos Rodon.
The White Sox are the favorites playing at home. They are -202 to win while the Twins’ moneyline is +185.
Pitching Matchup
Minnesota will send righty Griffin Jax to the mound on Monday. This season, he is 1-1 with an 8.66 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP. In 17.2 innings this season, opponents are hitting .310 off the righty, while Jax has recorded 14 strikeouts thus far.
Lance Lynn will make his first start for Chicago since signing a two-year extension with the team. On the season, Lynn is an amazing 9-3 with a 1.99 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and has 105 strikeouts in just 90.2 innings.
By The Numbers
The White Sox are one of the best teams in baseball on both offense and defense. They rank fourth in runs per game, averaging 5.13. Defensively, they rank sixth in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 3.81 runs per game.
While Minnesota has been decent on offense, they have struggled defensively. They rank 12th in scoring, averaging 4.67 runs, but they rank 28th in scoring defense, allowing 5.32 runs per game.
Minnesota May Be Prepping To Sell
This certainly isn’t the season that Minnesota envisioned. At 39-53, they are in fourth in the division and 17 games behind the White Sox. With the postseason all but out of reach, the focus may be mostly on whether to sell at the deadline or not at this point.
One name that could be moved is also the Twins’ best hitter in Nelson Cruz. The designated hitter is hitting .301/.380/.543 with 18 home runs, 47 runs batted in, and 42 runs scored. He leads the team in both home runs and runs batted in.
In the first series after the All-Star break, Josh Donaldson was the most productive hitter for the Twins. He went three for nine with a home run and two runs batted in the series against the Tigers.
White Sox Continue To Dominate Division
After winning their series over the weekend, the White Sox were able to extend their division lead to eight games over the Cleveland Indians. They have the largest lead of any of the six divisions in baseball.
They have also been dominant at home this season. They are 33-15 this year when playing at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The White Sox offense has been led by reigning A.L. MVP Jose Abreu. In 318 at-bats, he is hitting .252/.336/.456 with 16 home runs, 69 runs batted in, and 46 runs scored.
With a loaded team and the assets to make deadline deals, the White Sox are currently +850 to win the World Series this year, the third-best odds overall.
Take White Sox To Win
There just isn’t a whole lot to like with the Twins in this one. The White Sox hold the edge in both the pitching matchup and offensive firepower.
Especially playing at home, where they are dominant, take the White Sox to win.
