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Attention American League Central fans, this is the game for you! The first-place Minnesota Twins will attempt to fight off the rest of the division as the Chicago White Sox will host them at Guaranteed Rate Field for the second consecutive day. It is time to take a sneak peek at our MLB odds series, where our Twins-White Sox prediction and pick will be made for all to see.
Taking advantage of some timely play in extra innings over the White Sox on Monday, Minnesota's 6-3 victory improved the Twins to 4-0 over Chicago on the season. Righty Josh Winder will be making the last-second start as Chris Archer was a surprising scratch before game-time. Winder is 3-2 with a 3.06 ERA in his four games started.
After tying the game at two apiece in the seventh inning, the White Sox frustration boiled over when they flew out to center into a triple play that ended the inning after two men reached with no outs. Chicago could not recover from the freak play, and they eventually saw their three-game winning streak get snapped in ten innings. Fast forward 24 hours later, right-handed flamethrower Michael Kopech will be in line for the start. Kopech is 2-5 record with a 2.78 ERA in 14 games started on the year.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Twins-White Sox MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Twins-White Sox Odds
Minnesota Twins: +1.5 (-182)
Chicago White Sox: -1.5 (+150)
Over: 9.5 (-102)
Under: 9.5 (-120)
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Why The Twins Could Cover the Spread
At 46-37, the Twins are one victory away from seeing themselves be ten games above the .500 mark. Winners in three of their last four matchups, Twins fans are hoping that this is the start of a stretch where Minnesota can start to pull away from the rest of the division.
On Monday, it was all about the Byron Buxton show. The Twins center fielder continued his electric season at the plate and defensively as he smacked a go-ahead, two-run homer in the fifth frame before turning the first 8-5 triple play in MLB history. Obviously, when the lights shine the brightest, Buxton is up for the challenge. On the season, Buxton has belted 22 home runs and has 40 RBI's to his name to further cement himself as one of Minnesota's more lethal hitters at the plate.
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Additionally, the Twins are eighth in the league with a .414 slugging percentage. Minnesota has proved that they are more than capable of swatting round-trippers and crushing baseballs into the gaps of the outfield for extra-base hits.
Among Twins starting pitchers, only 22 arms have pitched deep enough into games to record the quality start, but this one stat alone does not define this staff/bullpen as a whole. With a 3.64 ERA, this unit on the mound does not deserve to be scoffed at. It will be interesting to see how Josh Winder pitches on short notice after Archer was scratched. If Winder can dial up a solid outing, it will only give the Twins a better chance to cover the spread.
Why The White Sox Could Cover the Spread
If you look up the word mediocre in the Webster's Dictionary, a picture of the White Sox may appear under the definition. All jokes aside and without any disrespect, Chicago has scuffled to the midway point of the baseball season. However, they remain firmly in the playoff race and only trail the Twins by 5.5 games for the AL Central lead. While last night's shortcomings won't do them any favors, the remaining two games of this series have playoff implications written all over it.
The sense of urgency for the White Sox are at an all-time high, as failing to win these next couple of games will further dampen their chances of a division title. While Chicago only trails by four games in the Wild Card race, these tightly contested matchups versus the Twins are as important as ever.
Ranked as the 21st best team when it comes to scoring runs, the mysterious element of this team is the fact they have the fifth-best batting average in the league with a .254 average. Obviously, this doesn't add up, and while Chicago has had to overcome some obstacles this season, the offense is going to need to show up.
Outside of the offense, Chicago may be in good hands with Michael Kopech on the mound. The 26-year-old from Texas has been nearly un-hittable when pitted against the Twins, as he is 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA in six appearances. In a road start versus Minnesota on April 24th, Kopech threw five scoreless innings while striking out seven in the no-decision outing.
Final Twins-White Sox Prediction & Pick
Who needs this one more? While the Twins could certainly use a spread-covering win to increase their division lead, the White Sox arguably have to have this game. With Kopech on the mound and the Chicago lineup facing off with a pitcher who is filling in abruptly, the White Sox have a great chance to cover the spread in game two of this series. If bettors are feeling confident, then the White Sox +150 odds value is the move.
Final Twins-White Sox Prediction & Pick: White Sox -1.5 (+150)
