Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Chicago White Sox Betting Preview

Tuesday night features a David versus Goliath interleague matchup as the Pittsburgh Pirates (48-83, last in the NL Central) take on the Chicago White Sox (76-56, first in the AL Central). The White Sox will host this one at Guaranteed Rate Field, with first pitch scheduled for 8:10 pm ET.

Coming into this series, the Pirates split a four-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals over the weekend. After dropping two of the first three, Pittsburgh won the finale 4-3. The PIrates enjoyed a day off on Monday.

The White Sox also enjoyed Monday off after they took two of three from the Chicago Cubs. On Sunday, they won 13-1 behind five home runs, including two from Luis Robert. Dylan Cease allowed one run over six innings while striking out 11.

Chicago is undoubtedly the favorite playing at home. They are -265 to win while the Pirates’ moneyline sits at +237. The runline features Pittsburgh +1.5 (+115), and the over/under for total runs is 9.

Pitching Matchup

The Pittsburgh Pirates will send righty Mitch Keller to the mound on Tuesday. On the season, he is 4-10 with a 6.75 ERA, 1.81 WHIP, and has struck out 68 in 72 innings pitched.

Meanwhile, the Chicago White Sox will counter with lefty Carlos Rodon. Currently +1300 to win the Cy Young this season, Rodon has been sensational all year. He is 10-5 with a 2.43 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and has 163 strikeouts in 114.2 innings.

By The Number

Offensively, the White Sox have been one of the best teams in baseball. They are currently fifth in scoring averaging 5.03 runs per game. The Pirates rank dead last, averaging just 3.59 runs per game (3.18 on the road).

The White Sox have the advantage once again defensively. In terms of scoring defense, they rank seventh, allowing opponents an average of just 3.98 runs per game. The Pirates rank 27th allowing 5.10 runs.

Pirates More Likely For Top Draft Pick Than Postseason Spot

At 48-83, it has been an absolutely brutal season for the Pirates. They have the fourth-worst record in all of baseball and hit the road for Chicago with a 20-45 road record.

After selling off at the trade deadline, the Pirates have little to play for as the season winds down.
Despite their tough season, outfielder Bryan Reynolds has been quite productive. He is currently hitting .299/.382/.516 and leads the team in home runs (21), runs batted in (77), and runs scored (73).

Over the last week, Yoshi Tsutsugo has been the hottest hitter for Pittsburgh. In the last six games, he is hitting .333/.462/1.222 with two home runs and seven runs batted in.

White Sox On Cruise Control In AL Central

No team in the MLB holds a bigger division lead than the White Sox. They have a ten-game lead over the second-place Cleveland Indians, and the division has seemingly been wrapped up for over a month.
Still, the White Sox are hoping to end the regular season strong so they can be rolling as they enter the postseason.

Leading the way for Chicago on offense is first baseman Jose Abreu. He currently leads the team in home runs (27) and runs batted in (101) while hitting .263/.344/.496. Yasmani Grandal recently returned from the injured list and has done so with a bang. In his first three games back, he is hitting .500/.571/1.333 with three home runs and 10 runs batted in.

Take The White Sox To Win And Cover

There just isn’t anything to like about the Pirates in this one. Not only do the White Sox have a Cy Young contender in Carlos Rodon on the mound, but they are just the far superior team in all facets.

Feel comfortable not only taking Chicago to win this one but don’t be surprised if they cover the -1.5 runline (-135).