The White Sox make the trip to Kansas City to face the Royals! These division rivals are headed in opposite directions. The White Sox have struggled all season as the worst team in baseball. The Royals have played great baseball this season and have momentum when compared to the Royals. Our MLB odds series has our White Sox-Royals prediction, odds, and pick for Friday.

White Sox-Royals Projected Starters 

Chris Flexen vs. Michael Wacha

Chris Flexen (2-8) with a 4.82 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP

Last Start: Pitched six innings and gave up two runs on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts in a White Sox loss.

2024 Road Splits: (1-3) 4.86 ERA

Michael Wacha (6-6) with a 3.83 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP

Last Start: Pitched five innings and gave up four runs on seven hits with one walk and three strikeouts in a Royals win.

2024 Home Splits: (3-1) 3.49 ERA

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: White Sox-Royals Odds

Chicago White Sox: +1.5 (-120)

Moneyline: +172

Kansas City Royals: -1.5 (+100)

Moneyline: -205

Over: 8.5 (-125)

Under: 8.5 (-105)

How to Watch White Sox vs. Royals

Time: 8:10 pm ET

TV: NBC Sports Chicago

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The White Sox Will Cover The Spread/Win

The White Sox are the worst team in the MLB. They have a 27-71 record so far this season. They have lost four straight heading into this matchup. They are the second-worst team in the MLB behind the plate and are also struggling on the mound, ranking near the bottom on the mound as well. Gavin Sheets, Paul DeJong, Andrew Vaughn, and Andrew Benintendi are standouts despite how bad the offense has been. The only notable pitchers in the lineup are Erick Fedde and Garrett Crochet. They have struggled all season and do not have much hope the rest of the way.

The White Sox are starting Chris Flexen on the mound in this matchup and he has a 2-8 record, a 4.82 ERA, and a 1.37 WHIP. He has allowed 57 runs on 97 hits with 36 walks and 71 strikeouts through 97 innings. In his 20 appearances this season, the White Sox are 2-18. Flexen has struggled and had an awful season in Chicago this year. He has a huge challenge in this game against the Royals' offense behind the plate.

The offense for the White Sox has been awful. The White Sox are second to last in the MLB in team batting average at .220 which comes after having a .238 last season. Gavin Sheets, Paul DeJong, and Andrew Vaughn lead the offense in most categories. Vaughn leads in batting average at .237, in RBI at 43, and in total hits at 80. Then, Sheets leads in OBP at .316 and DeJong in home runs at 16. They get a difficult matchup against the Royals on the mound because Michael Wacha has been solid for the Royals as a pitcher.

Why The Royals Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Royals have played well this year on their way to a 52-45 record. They come into this series losing two straight games. Their batting has slumped and is now around average, while their pitching is in the top 10. Seth Lugo has made a potent pitching combination with Brady Singer and Cole Ragans. Their bats have been playing well this season too. Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. have been the main standouts for the Royals behind the plate, but Maikel Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino have also played well. The Royals have been one of the bigger surprises this season, especially after last year.

The Royals are starting Michael Wacha on the mound. He has a 6-6 record, a 3.83 ERA, and a 1.24 WHIP on the year up to this point. Through 89.1 innings, he has allowed 40 runs on 84 hits with 27 walks and 78 strikeouts. He has started in 16 games so far this season and the Royals are 8-8 in those games. Wacha has had a solid season this year on the mound for Kansas City. He gets a favorable matchup against the White Sox on offense.

The Royals' offense has been solid behind the plate. They are 11th in team batting average at .247 after finishing last season at .254. Their offensive output has been led mainly by Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez in almost every batting category. Witt Jr. leads in batting average at .323, in RBI at 63, in OBP at .369, and in total hits at 125. Finally, Perez leads in home runs at 17. The Royals' offense gets a favorable matchup against Flexen on the mound for the White Sox, given how much he has struggled this season.

Final White Sox-Royals Prediction & Pick

The White Sox are the worst team in the MLB. The Royals have played well, but need more consistency in the second half of the season to stay in the playoff picture. Wacha has a massive pitching advantage over Flexen. The offense is also much better in Kansas City compared to how awful it is for the White Sox. The Royals should win and cover at home in this game.

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Final White Sox-Royals Prediction & Pick: Royals -1.5 (+100)