The Oakland Athletics (68-53) have dropped three in a row to the Chicago White Sox (71-50) as the two clubs finish a four-game series Thursday. First pitch is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET at Guaranteed Rate Field. Let’s analyze the lines around the Athletics vs. White Sox odds with MLB picks and predictions.
Athletics LHP Cole Irvin (8-11, 3.52 ERA) makes his 24th start. He has a 1.18 WHIP, 1.7 BB/9 and 6.4 K/9 through 135 1/3 IP.
- Has been solid on the road this season boasting a 3.30 ERA and 7.5 K/9 with just 3 homers allowed in 62 2/3 IP.
- His ground ball rate sits at just 36 percent but he has done a great job of keeping the ball in the park lately with just 2 homers allowed in his last nine starts.
White Sox RHP Dylan Cease (9-6, 4.04 ERA) makes his 25th start. He has a 1.25 WHIP, 3.5 BB/9 and 11.9 K/9 through 124 2/3 IP.
- Ranks seventh in the majors with 165 K, and his 30.8% K% puts him fourth among all qualified starting pitchers.
- Has recorded a 2.44 ERA in 12 home starts, much better than his 5.86 mark on the road. He has a 12.1 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 66 1/3 IP at home.
Athletics at White Sox odds, lines, picks and prediction
MLB odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 10:27 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Athletics +140 (bet $100 to win $140) | White Sox -170 (bet $170 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: +1.5 (-150) | White Sox -1.5 (+120)
- Over/Under: 8.5 (O: -140 | U: +111)
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Prediction
White Sox 6, Athletics 4
Money line (ML)
Irvin has been pretty fortunate to post such a low ERA to this point. He doesn’t miss a lot of bats and isn’t anything special when it comes to suppressing hard contact yet has managed to maintain a 6.5% HR/FB%.
The White Sox come into the game with a +139 run differential that ranks fourth in the majors and a 42-22 record at home that also ranks fourth-best in the league.
They should complete the sweep today and a small play on WHITE SOX (-170) should pay off.
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Run line/Against the spread (ATS)
The White Sox are tied for 3rd in wRC+ vs lefties and have recently added both LF Eloy Jimenez and CF Luis Robert to an already loaded lineup. They have won the first three games of this series by a combined score of 17-4 and should push across enough runs against Irvin to win by multiple runs.
Take the WHITE SOX -1.5 (+120).
Over/Under (O/U)
Chicago presents a tough matchup for Irvin who is overdue for some regression in the home run department. On the other side, the Oakland offense ranks eighth in the league in runs per game on the road with 4.76.
Cease has been good at home and will rack up the strikeouts but he is sporting a 4.79 ERA over his last 14 starts so he’s far from a lock to shut down the Oakland bats.
Look for both offenses to get a little something going in this game, enough to push this total OVER 8.5 (-135).
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