The surprising White Sox own the American League’s best record and lowest team ERA. But they are tossing out the weak link on Wednesday in the middle of a three-game set between division leaders. Lefty John Danks has half of the team’s losses and an ERA over seven.
You can bet on MLB odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The White Sox finally got a day off after 19 consecutive games before starting their series with Boston. Despite the tough schedule, the White Sox have been a surprise through the first month of the season, posting the best record in the American League. Much of the White Sox success can be credited to their pitching. Starters Mat Latos and Chris Sale each finished the month of April with perfect records.
Chicago completed a four-game series in Baltimore over the weekend winning the final two and is 8-2 over its last 10 games. The White Sox are in the black 7.37 units in that span and up 11.19 units for the season, they are easily the most profitable team in baseball.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
Clay Buchholz (0-3, 6.51 ERA) had a hard time Thursday, allowing five runs on eight hits over 6.1 innings in a loss to the light-hitting Braves. He’s been remarkably consistent in a bad way this season, allowing exactly five runs in four of his five starts. He walked four to go with eight hits allowed while striking out just two. Not surprisingly, he’s still winless after the first month.
The righty tries to improve from a disappointing month and could do that in Chicago, where he is 2-2 with a 3.38 ERA in his career at U.S. Cellular Field. Buchholz is a notoriously streaky pitcher, so at some point, he should pitch closer to his career 3.90 ERA.
Imagine where the White Sox would be if they didn’t run John Danks (0-4, 7.25 ERA) out there every fifth day. His struggles continued in a loss to the Orioles on Thursday, allowing nine hits and six runs over five innings. The veteran lefty is now responsible for half of the teams losses in 2016.
After four starts every peripheral suggests Danks is one of the worst pitchers in the league. The most glaring number is his fastball velocity, which is at an average speed of 87.1 mph, well below any other time in his career. His strikeouts are down, his walks are up and he’s giving up homers at a record pace.
LIVE BETTING
As the White Sox were enduring a grueling stretch of 19 straight games, the team looked to Brett Lawrie for an energy boost. And the second baseman delivered. Lawrie went 3 for 3 and homered for the third time in as many days as the White Sox earned a four-game split with the Orioles with their 7-1 victory on Sunday. After dropping the first two games of the series, it might have been easy for the White Sox to look forward to the day off. Instead, they battled.
Lawrie homered off Kevin Gausman on Saturday in a game the White Sox battled back in for an 8-7 victory. Lawrie provided them with another lead when he connected off Ubaldo Jimenez in the fourth inning Sunday.
QUICK PICK
Neither starter has done much this season and combined they have zero wins. They are both veterans and have had success in the past, so they will likely get the benefit of the doubt. But unless they start pitching a whole lot better, the bullpen bench has their name on it. That being said, the over looks like a smart play given the offensive production both Sox teams have seen this baseball season.
Chicago’s offensive numbers are lagging behind those of Boston, but they’re far superior at this point to those of a season ago. The Red Sox have shown they can pound average pitching and Danks has been atrocious. After this outing, we might see him in the bullpen.
MLB Odds: Boston 6, Chicago 4
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! First pitch for the game between the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox is scheduled for Wednesday, May 4, 2016, at 8:10 p.m. ET at U.S. Cellular Field. The matchup can be seen live on ESPN.
