The Kansas City Royals and the Chicago White Sox meet in the finale of a three-game series at Guaranteed Rate Field on the Southside. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Royals-White Sox prediction and pick.
The White Sox defeated the Royals 7-3 on Wednesday to even up the three-game series heading into Thursday. The Sox jumped up to a lead when Andrew Vaughn slugged a double to deep center to make it 1-0 Chicago in the bottom of the third inning. Then, Jake Burger crushed a high-pitch to center field for a solo home run. It was his second of 2022 and gave the Sox a 2-0 lead. Later, the Royals rallied with RBI singles by Whit Merrifield and Andrew Benintendi to cut the deficit to 3-2 in the sixth. The Royals tied it up at 3-3 in the next inning with a sacrifice fly, which sent the game to the bottom half of the inning.
Likewise, Chicago answered back when Vaughn broke things open by slugging a three-run bomb to left field, giving the Sox a 6-3 lead. The White Sox never looked back and held on for the win. Dylan Cease allowed two earned runs on three hits over six innings and took the no-decision. The White Sox improved to 7-10 and now are in second place and two and a half games behind the Minnesota Twins. Meanwhile, the Royals fell to 6-10.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Royals-White Sox MLB odds:
MLB Odds: Royals-White Sox Odds
Royals: +1.5 (-132)
White Sox: -1.5 (+110)
Over: 6.5 (-115)
Under: 6.5 (-105)
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Why The Royals Could Cover The Spread
Kansas City has competed with Chicago despite the talent disparity. Tuesday was an indicator of the Royals' ability to contend with the Sox as they shut down Chicago 6-0. Now, the Royals hope to steal the series and continue the trend from last season, where they won the head-to-head battle 10-9. The Royals will go with Brad Keller on the hill.
Keller is 0-2 with a 2.55 ERA and has become the definition of a hard-luck loser as his team has given him two runs over three games. Consequently, this amounts to .66 runs per game when Keller is on the mound. He will attempt to keep Kansas City in the game and get his first win of the season. The Royals will face Michael Kopech, who faced them in 2021 as a reliever. The key for Kansas City is to get on base and pressure Kopech early. One player who could benefit from getting on base is Adalberto Mondesi.
Mondesi is third in the majors in stolen bases with five. However, he is hitting .140 in 2022 and has not generated many walks. Mondesi must find ways to get on base and propel the Royals lineup with his speed. Additionally, the Royals need an offensive spark from catcher Salvador Perez. He is batting .217 for the season and has one hit in the series.
The Royals will cover the spread if Keller can continue his momentum and give Kansas City a strong performance. In addition to that, the Royals must find ways to get to Kopech early. Lastly, the Royals will need contributions from Mondesi and Perez to spark the lineup and propel Kansas City to victory.
Why The White Sox Could Cover The Spread
Chicago came through big last yesterday. Now, the Sox hope to replicate the effort and take the three-game series from the Royals. Chicago will go with Kopech on the mound.
Kopech is 0-0 with a 0.64 ERA in 2022 over three starts. Today, Kopech looks for his first win and hopes to keep the Royals at bay. He will need some run support from a lineup that includes Jose Abreu and Yasmani Grandal. Abreu went 0 for 4 on Wednesday and is hitting .203 in 2022. Specifically, he has not powered up yet as he has two home runs this season. Abreu needs to pick up the slack to revive Chicago from its slow start. Similarly, Grandal is hitting .163 with only one home run. He is also pivotal to the success of the White Sox.
The White Sox will cover the spread if Kopech gives them five to six quality innings. Additionally, the Sox must provide Kopech with run support to ensure he snags his first victory. Abreu and Grandal must provide the spark offensively for the Sox to take the three-game series with the Royals.
Final Royals-White Sox Prediction & Pick
Wednesday's game looked to be headed for another low-scoring affair until everything broke loose in the sixth and seventh innings. However, the Royals have competed well against the Sox. Kansas City is keeping pace with Chicago, ensuring that they are in the game until the end. Kopech has pitched well but so has Keller. Consequently, neither team is showcasing talent to an extreme level. It will be a close game to the very end.
Final Royals-White Sox Prediction & Pick: Royals +1.5 (-132)
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