The Chicago White Sox (20-24 SU, -5.84 Units) are very likely to have a battered and bruised up pitching staff by the time they reach Sunday's clash against the Houston Astros (30-18 SU, +12.45 Units).
ODDS ANALYSIS
Houston isn't quite the best team in the bigs any longer from a monetary standpoint due to the fact that the oddsmakers have clearly caught up. The Astros are doing much more damage on the road than at home, and that 15-10 mark and those +2.91 units could evaporate if the team crashes back to earth at some point.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Thanks to a doubleheader in Baltimore on Thursday, the White Sox are really scrambling right now for starting pitchers. Fortunately in the case of Sunday, they've got a regularly scheduled pitcher on the mound in John Danks.
The unfortunate part for Danks is that his velocity is dramatically decreased this year, and his 5.69 ERA suggests just that. The lefty has allowed four homers in his last three games, and in his last two starts, has conceded 11 runs over 10.1 innings of work.
Roberto Hernandez is merely place-holding a spot in the Houston rotation at this point until the team gets healthy and is ready to bring up some more reinforcements from the minors.
He's not overwhelming at all, but his 2-3 record and 4.77 ERA aren't terrible. We're not thrilled with the walk total of 17 in 54.2 innings, especially when you consider the fact that he only has 28 strikeouts to offset that, but there was really nothing to expect to see here out of Hernandez this season.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"Once you start giving them free opportunities, you make it tougher on yourself. You have to be able to clean that up and force them to swing the bat." – White Sox manager Robin Ventura on all of the walks his bullpen has issued in recent weeks
SITUATIONAL BETTING
And that bullpen sure has walked too many men this year, 49 to be exact. Men are hitting .260 against the Chicago bullpen, tied for third worst in the majors.
Clearly, if this becomes a bullpen game, it's advantage to Houston. The Astros rank first in the majors in opposing batting average (.181), first in bullpen strikeouts (161) and second in bullpen ERA (2.13) in the majors.
PROP TALK
George Springer had himself a week last week. The slugger with 30/30 potential has hit safely in six of his last seven games, and he is batting .394 in that stretch with five extra base hits. Springer, like so many other Astros, strikes out far too much, but against Danks, we aren't worried as much about that happening.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Astros really struggle at times against these power pitchers who can get a ton of free outs on guys like Chris Carter, Springer and Evan Gattis, all of which could strike out 200 times this season if they aren't careful. However, against a man like Danks, who will be hard-pressed to strike out more than maybe five, there is an opportunity for a lot of crooked numbers.
Between Danks' propensity to give up the long ball and Houston's trend to hit the ball a long way when it does successfully make contact throughout most of its lineup, the makings are here for this to be another tough outing on the White Sox bullpen.
Houston 9, Chicago 4
The baseball betting odds for this Sunday game will first be available at BookMaker Sportsbook. BookMaker is going to have multiple betting options available for this televised baseball matchup. Live wagering during commercials offers an adjusted moneyline, individual inning run totals and next hitter results. Log in and start gambling during the game now!
Need to fund your account before the big game but don't have your computer? No problem! BookMaker Sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone or tablet. Don't miss out on getting paid because you couldn't bet. Click here and deposit at BookMaker now! The duel between the Chicago White Sox and the Houston Astros will take place Sunday, May 31, 2015 at 2:10 p.m. ET at Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX. Catch the action live on the MLB Network.
