The Minnesota Twins take on the Chicago White Sox. Check out our MLB odds series for our Twins White Sox prediction and pick.
Bailey Ober goes to the hill for the Twins, while Johnny Cueto gets the assignment for the White Sox.
Bailey Ober has had a 2022 season marred and interrupted by injuries. He missed the first three weeks of May and then missed three and a half months (June 2-Sept. 15) with another injury. He has pitched just 51 innings this year in 10 appearances. In the first seven appearances through June 1, he pitched to a 4.01 ERA. Since coming back to the Twins on Sept. 16, he has pitched to a 1.56 ERA in three starts, including a Sept. 27 outing against the White Sox in which he completely dominated: 7 1/3 innings pitched, two hits, no runs, one walk, and 10 strikeouts. One can either bet that Ober has the White Sox' number and that his fresh pitching arm will serve him well, or one could take the opposite route and say that Ober is bound to significantly regress one week later in this reunion with the White Sox.
Johnny Cueto is one of the few White Sox players who can't be blamed for this disastrous 2022 season. Cueto's ability to go seven or eight innings on several occasions reduced the exposure to an injured and vulnerable bullpen. He ate up innings and gave the White Sox a lot of quality starts. Cueto's game-in, game-out numbers might not have been astounding over the course of the whole season, but his stats should have been more than enough for Chicago to win the games he pitched in. This huge failure by the White Sox — easily the most disappointing season of any MLB club in 2022 — falls on the hitters who failed to produce on a regular basis, and on a bullpen which was shaky. The Sox might have had 99 problems this year, but Johnny Cueto ain't one.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Twins-White Sox MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Twins-White Sox Odds
Minnesota Twins: -1.5 (+164)
Chicago White Sox: +1.5 (-200)
Over: 7 (-122)
Under: 7 (+100)
Why The Twins Could Cover the Spread
The fact that Bailey Ober dominated the White Sox last week is impressive, but what makes Ober a good choice to bet on is the fact — as mentioned above — that he hasn't pitched much and is therefore fresh. He is not a tired pitcher winding down a long season. He has a lot of juice in his delivery after spending three and a half months on the shelf. He wants to prove himself in this last start of the season. He wants to help the Twins go into the offseason knowing they have a reliable starting pitcher who can win back the division from Cleveland. There's plenty of motivation for Ober heading into this game. The two full rosters might not be motivated, but when the starting pitcher is motivated — and he is in good form — that can compensate for the rest of the team.
Why The White Sox Could Cover the Spread
Johnny Cueto is a bulldog competitor, but more than that, he is a professional. He sets the right example for younger players. He takes pride in going about his business and doing what he was paid to do. This is the precise situation in which his professionalism can make a difference for the White Sox. You know that Cueto is not going to mail it in. He'll fight and work hard, and that could be the betting edge people are looking for in this otherwise meaningless contest.
Final Twins-White Sox Prediction & Pick
You should stay away from this game because it's a case of two teams playing out the string and having no real stakes involved. If you insist on making a pick, go with the White Sox because of Cueto and the pitching matchup.
Final Twins-White Sox Prediction & Pick: White Sox +1.5
Follow Us
Subscribe