Opening Day is in full swing as the Detroit Tigers head to Guaranteed Rate Field to face the Chicago White Sox on the South Side. We're here to share our MLB odds series, make a Tigers-White Sox prediction, and pick while showing you how to watch.
The Tigers went 78-84 last season, finishing second in the American League Central. Now, there is more hope in Motown as the Tigers believe they can take that next step this season.
The White Sox fell to the Earth with a thud last season, finishing 61-101. Ultimately, there is hope they can bounce back after enduring a terrible season. The Sox have their hands full on the first day.
Tarik Skubal will start on Opening Day for the Tigers. Last season, they finished 7-3 with a 2.80 ERA over 15 starts. Skubal is 5-2 with a 4.73 ERA over eight starts with 50 strikeouts in his history against the Sox.
Garrett Crochet will make the Opening Day start for the Sox. Significantly, he missed all of last season after enduring Tommy John Surgery and is a very curious choice for the Sox to name as their starter on Opening Day.
The Tigers went 8-5 against the White Sox. Additionally, they went 3-3 in Chicago.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Tigers-White Sox Odds
Detroit Tigers: -1.5 (-106)
Moneyline: -172
Chicago White Sox: +1.5 (-113)
Moneyline: +144
Over: 7.5 (-122)
Under: 7.5 (+100)
How to Watch Tigers vs. White Sox
Time: 4:11 PM ET/1:11PT
TV: Bally Sports Detroit, NBC Sports Chicago and MLB Extra Innings
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Tigers Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Tigers are not a good team yet. However, all the pieces are in place for them to make a run. They have some solid front-of-the-rotation starters and some young hitters who can make a difference. How these hitters do on Opening Day will be very significant.
Parker Meadows is the leadoff hitter and the man who will get things going. Overall, he is very solid and did moderately well in limited action. Through 125 at-bats, he clubbed three home runs and 13 RBIs while scoring 19 runs. The only thing he should work on is his batting average, as he hit just .232 last season. Riley Greene likely will hit second in the lineup. The first thing he needs to do is stay healthy. Overall, he battered 11 home runs and 37 RBIs while crossing the plate 51 times last season through 378 at-bats. Greene also had a modest batting average of .288.
But the real player to watch is Spencer Torkelson. Amazingly, he clobbered 31 home runs and 94 RBIs while also scoring 88 times. But Torkelson is also a low-average hitter. Therefore, there is just as much a chance for him to go 0 for 4 as there is for him to hit a home run. Look for him to try and find the sweet pitch to take out of the yard. Ultimately, he will be batting in a park that is relatively neutral to hitters and pitchers.
The Tigers had a mediocre bullpen last season. While it was not the best, it also was not nearly as bad as other pitching staffs. If the Tigers can get the game into the seventh inning with a one-run lead, the relievers will need to be ready.
The Tigers will cover the spread if they can get the jump on the pitcher and score some runs early. Then, they need to pitch well toward the end of the game.
Why The White Sox Will Cover The Spread/Win
The White Sox are hoping last season was just a bad dream. Unfortunately, they have a lot of work to prove that it was and will need their lineup to figure out a way to solve Skubal.
Andrew Benintendi can still hit the ball and get on base. But he will also need to bounce back on defense after leading all AL left fielders in errors in 2023. Yoan Moncada is another threat the Sox can utilize. However, he must do a little more this season. Moncada clobbered 11 home runs and 39 RBIs while scoring 40 runs. Of course, the player to watch is Luis Robert.
Robert was probably the only good thing about the Sox last season. Amazingly, he battered 38 home runs and 80 RBIs while also scoring 90 runs. His batting average was not bad either, as he finished with a mark of .264. If the Sox can get him some runners, he can easily drive them in, as he is the most dangerous hitter in this lineup.
The White Sox will cover the spread if they can pitch well to stay in the game. Then, the offense needs to give Robert some support and find a way to solve Skubal.
Final Tigers-White Sox Prediction & Pick
If the Tigers are truly to take the next step, they must start dominating divisional rivals. Yes, going 8-5 against the White Sox last season was a good start. But if the Tigers truly want to make the playoffs this season, they must begin separating themselves from the Sox. 10-3 is a mark they should be shooting for. Therefore, it all starts in this game. The Tigers clearly have the better pitcher in this battle. Yet, they need their offense to go out and give them some runs. We feel the Tigers likely will give Skubal 4-6 runs in this one. It should be enough to win and cover the spread.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Tigers-White Sox Prediction & Pick: Detroit Tigers: -1.5 (-106)
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