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The Chicago White Sox take on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Our MLB odds series has our White Sox Dodgers prediction and pick. Find out how to watch White Sox Dodgers.
The Los Angeles Dodgers had scored four runs in the sixth inning on Wednesday night against the Chicago White Sox. They trailed 2-0 but then took a 4-2 lead. Clayton Kershaw was in line for the win. The Dodgers, trailing the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West, know they need to perform at a consistently higher level to overtake Arizona and eventually win the West, something they have done quite a lot over the past decade. Good teams will author their share of comeback wins, especially in the latter innings. The Dodgers carried a 4-2 lead into the top of the eighth and were six outs away from a stabilizing, affirming victory which would have enabled them to win this three-game series against the White Sox, who are in a desperate season-long battle to get to the .500 mark.
Then the roof caved in for Los Angeles.
The Dodgers gave up three runs in the eighth and ninth. The White Sox, powered by slugger Jake Burger's tying two-run homer in the eighth, demolished the Dodger bullpen for six late-inning runs in an 8-4 win which left a modest crowd at Dodger Stadium disgusted and deflated. The Dodgers just can't seem to get untracked this year, and the White Sox — as bad as they have been — remain very much in contention in the awful American League Central. We will now see who wins the rubber game of this series on Thursday in L.A.
Here are the White Sox-Dodgers MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: White Sox-Dodgers Odds
Chicago White Sox: +1.5 (-162)
Los Angeles Dodgers: -1.5 (+134)
Over: 8.5 (-122)
Under: 8.5 (+100)
How To Watch White Sox vs. Dodgers
TV: NBC Sports Chicago (White Sox) / SportsNet LA (Dodgers) / MLB Extra Innings
Stream: MLB.tv
Time: 10:10 p.m. ET/7:10 p.m. PT
*Watch White Sox-Dodgers LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The White Sox Could Cover The Spread
The Dodgers don't have Walker Buehler in their rotation. They sorely miss the offense Trea Turner gave them last season. They could really use another starter, but Tyler Anderson — who was so good for them in 2022 — is now with the Los Angeles Angels. These roster deficits have reduced the team's margin for error, and L.A.'s weaknesses have become especially evident in the bullpen.
The six-run implosion on Wednesday night against the White Sox was just the latest in a series of failures for the Dodger bullpen. Dodger relievers have been overworked this season, but even if one is to allow that they should be pitching fewer innings, the results are still bad. Dodger relievers have allowed almost 140 earned runs this season.
Last season, over the course of 162 regular-season games, Dodger relief pitchers allowed a total of 185 earned runs.
We aren't even 70 games into the 2023 season, and yet Dodger relievers have already allowed close to three-fourths of the earned runs they allowed a year ago. That's a staggering fact, and it's easily the most obvious and central reason the Dodgers are struggling. The White Sox have ace Dylan Cease on the mound. If they can simply get to the seventh or eighth inning tied or leading by a run, they have to like their chances.
Why The Dodgers Could Cover The Spread
The Dodgers' pen is struggling, but they know that every time they take the field, they have Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman (who is third in OPS in Major League Baseball, behind only Aaron Judge and Corbin Carroll), and Max Muncy. Betts hasn't been quite as good as the Dodgers expect him to be, but he is still an electric player who makes considerable contributions on offense and defense. Freeman is an elite hitter with machine-like consistency. Muncy has had a very good year for the Dodgers. Even if the bullpen is a mess and even though Chicago has Dylan Cease on the mound, the Dodger offense always poses a significant threat and can take over a game.
Final White Sox-Dodgers Prediction & Pick
The Dodgers are the better team, but the White Sox have their ace, Cease, on the hill. Stay away from this game.
Final White Sox-Dodgers Prediction & Pick: Dodgers -1.5
