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The Houston Astros continue to look to trend in a positive direction as they take on the slumping Chicago White Sox in the Windy City. Join us for our MLB odds series where our Astros-White Sox prediction and pick will be revealed.
Entering play with a 19-18 record, the Astros have managed to reel off back-to-back wins over the Los Angeles Angels in large part due to their opportunistic hitting and pitching. Getting the starting bump tonight happens to be rookie J.P France who happens to be in line for only his second career start. In his debut, it turned out to be France that was on full-shutdown mode as he pitched five scoreless innings to go along with five strikeouts en route to only surrendering three hits total.
As for Chicago, it has been the White Sox that have not done themselves any favors of late. Not only do they remain 8.5 games out of first place in the AL Central, but the White Sox have gone down in defeat in four of their last six games and will look to change the tide later this evening versus the Astros. On track for the start in this one for Chicago will be the hard-throwing righty in Michael Kopech. Although the 27-year-old boasts a sloppy 1-3 record and swelling 5.97 ERA, Kopech certainly has the talent to baffle the Astros all night long.
Here are the Astros-White Sox MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Astros-White Sox Odds
Houston Astros: -1.5 (+112)
Chicago White Sox: +1.5 (-134)
Over: 9 (+100)
Under: 9 (-122)
How To Watch Astros vs. White Sox
TV: AT&T SportsNet Southwest/NBC Sports Chicago
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 8:10 ET/5:10 PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
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Why The Astros Could Cover The Spread
First things first, the most prolific part of the Astros game is the fact that they happen to possess one of the more legit pitching staffs in all of the land. On paper, it is Houston that owns the third-lowest ERA in all of baseball with a 3.36 mark while they also remained elite with six separate quality starts in the opening 37 games of the 2023 season. Even though their offense has failed to be their same unit in recent years' past, these pitching arms on this roster at least guarantee that the defending champs can hang with anyone given the right scenario.
More specifically, the Astros could cover the spread if they can find a way to get more production from their first baseman in Jose Abreu. The long-time White Sox slugger, it has been Abreu that has found himself slashing only .218 with no home runs in his first season with the ‘Stros after clubbing a total of 243 home runs during his nine-year stint on the south side of Chicago. While Abreu is obviously struggling mightily, he is more than due for the type of performance that puts the team on his back en route to covering the spread.
Why The White Sox Could Cover The Spread
When taking a closer look at this White Sox squad, it becomes evident that their weakest link happens to be their inability to pitch consistently enough to end up on the right side of the scoreboard consistently. Unlike Houston, Chicago's pitching staff and bullpen have been rocked to the beat of a 5.71 ERA and are fresh off of giving up a total of 13 runs combined in their latest pair of losses to the Kansas City Royals.
Even more importantly, the White Sox would love to receive a clean bill of health moving forward as the season inches its way to the summer months. Most recently, catcher Yasmani Grandal was removed from the fourth inning of Tuesday's game when he was experiencing some right hamstring tightness, but at least Chicago will see the anticipated return of their third-baseman Yoan Moncada after he missed the last month with back tightness.
All in all, while the offense won't be very familiar in going up against a rookie pitcher with only one start under his belt, the major X-Factor in this Friday evening showdown will happen to be starter Michael Kopech. No question, Kopech is off to a rocky start to his 2023 campaign, but by no means does he lack the talent on the mound to make fans wonder if he can be an All-Star caliber hurler before it is all said and done. Alas, the start of this season has been a main outlier compared to his sub-4.00 career earned run average and he would also benefit from improving his 0-2 record and 5.25 ERA in three career appearances versus the Astros with a stellar outing later this evening.
Final Astros-White Sox Prediction & Pick
Certainly, these two teams have yet to hit their strides at the halfway point of May, but don't be surprised if J.P. France and company get the job done for the Houston Astros on this Friday.
Final Astros-White Sox Prediction & Pick: Astros -1.5 (+112)
