The Chicago White Sox find themselves in a position to coast into the playoffs, while the Oakland Athletics are in tight races for both the AL West title and the AL Wild Card spots. On Wednesday, the A’s look to break a recent losing streak to get closer to assuring a playoff spot of their own. But the White Sox aren’t going to rest on their laurels anytime soon, and aim to deal the A’s a loss for the third straight game in this series.
Oakland Need a Win Badly
The Oakland Athletics have lost four of their last five games, suffering a run of poor form at the worst possible time. They are just a couple of games behind the Houston Astros for first place in the AL West standings, but a few more losses late in August could put them out of the running for the division title before September even starts. They are also tied for the top Wild Card spot, but that could change too with the Yankees and Red Sox lurking.
For Oakland, the pitching has been a huge concern lately, as the team has allowed five or more runs in four of their last five games. They will need to do a better job against the White Sox, who have been especially dangerous against the A’s. Chicago has scored 14 runs combined over the last two games against the A’s, and the Chicago lineup won’t slow down anytime soon unless the A’s can pitch better in this contest.
Unfortunately for the A’s, they are at a big disadvantage from a pitching perspective going into this game. Cole Irvin is set to start this game for the A’s, who enters with an 8-11 record and a 3.52 ERA. That is a respectable earned run average, but pales in comparison to that of Lance Lynn, who is 10-3 on the year with a 2.26 ERA for the Twins.
White Sox Fighting Against Top Teams
The Chicago White Sox have been playing admirably of late, winning three of their last five games against playoff contenders. After taking just one of three against the New York Yankees, Chicago has beaten the A’s twice in a row. And they may end up facing one of those teams in the first round of the postseason, so this kind of experience against contenders is extremely valuable for the White Sox.
For the White Sox, the health of their batting order has improved greatly over the past couple of weeks. That, combined with the performances of pitchers like Lynn, could make them just as dangerous as teams like the Rays and Astros in the American League. If the White Sox can avoid mistakes from their bullpen like they suffered against the Yankees in their recent series, Chicago could be playing for the pennant this October.
Expect Lynn to Punish A’s
The poorly-timed losing streak for the Oakland Athletics is going to continue on Wednesday against the White Sox. Lynn is going to continue to pitch consistently well, while the Athletics will not get the same strong start from Irvin. The White Sox will cover the runline and pick up another win over a contending team in the American League.
Athletics vs. White Sox Pick: White Sox -1.5 over A’s
