The Chicago White Sox take on the Kansas City Royals. Check out our MLB odds series for our White Sox Royals prediction and pick.
Lucas Giolito gets the start for the White Sox, while the Royals give the ball to Zack Greinke.
Lucas Giolito has a 2.70 ERA. He has not been dominant for the White Sox, but opposing hitters have not figured him out, either. Giolito has avoided the big inning this season, giving up three runs or fewer in all five of his starts. He has pitched into the seventh inning only once, however, and it will be important for him to become even more of an innings-eater as the season moves along for the White Sox.
Zack Greinke has a 3.52 ERA. He did not allow more than three runs in any of his first six starts this season. Then he allowed seven runs, five earned, in 4 2/3 innings last Friday, May 13, against the Colorado Rockies. That game was in Coors Field, so one could easily assign that start to the ballpark more than the pitcher. Kansas City won that game 14-10, so it was one of those nights in which the ball was flying in Denver, as it often does. Don’t assign too much negative meaning to that one bad start by Greinke. This is part of making a sound and sensible White Sox Royals prediction.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the White Sox-Royals MLB odds.
MLB Odds: White Sox-Royals Odds
Chicago White Sox: -1.5 (+105)
Kansas City Royals: +1.5 (-126)
Over: 8.5 (-102)
Under: 8.5 (-120)
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Why The White Sox Could Cover the Spread
The White Sox trust Lucas Giolito. He hasn’t pitched since May 10 due to a brief appearance on the COVID-19 list, but he is back in action and his arm should be fresh. Dylan Cease has had a better season for the White Sox, but the belief this team has in Giolito is complete and undiminished. Giolito should love pitching against the Royals, who have scored just five total runs in the first three games of this series and have one of the most anemic offenses in baseball. The MLB odds favor Chicago for a reason. This is part of the landscape you should look at when making a White Sox Royals pick.
Also realize that Chicago hasn’t really hit the ball well in this series. The White Sox have scored only nine runs in the first three games this week in Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. The offense is bound to muscle up and hit some thunderous shots at some point.
Why The Royals Could Cover the Spread
Zack Greinke can still get it done. His ERA is solid, and yet it’s the product of one really bad game. Without that really bad game in Coors Field, Greinke’s ERA would be noticeably lower. He hasn’t lost his edge. The man simply knows how to pitch.
One of the foremost indicators of Greinke’s quality this season is his walk rate per nine innings: 0.7 hitters per nine, which is among the very best in baseball. Greinke isn’t giving free bases. He is making opponents put the ball in play. Few components of pitching are more time-tested than that. The White Sox haven’t been hammering the ball lately, so Greinke can certainly keep them under wraps.
Also, the Royals have scored just five runs in the first three games of this series. They are bound to have a moderately good (five-run) game at some point. If they score five for Greinke, they’ll win.
Final White Sox-Royals Prediction & Pick
Both teams are struggling to put big innings together. All things being equal, you should lean to the White Sox, but frankly, staying away from this game makes the most sense.
Final White Sox-Royals Prediction & Pick: White Sox -1.5
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