Rivals in the AL Central look to make up ground on the division front-runner when the White Sox visit Detroit in the final game of the first series between the clubs. Though starting pitchers Jose Quintana and Justin Verlander are a combined one-game under .500, expect a pitchers duel between two of the best.
You can bet on MLB odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
ODDS ANALYSIS
On May 9, the White Sox led the American League Central by a season-high six games over the Cleveland Indians and seven games over the defending champion Kansas City Royals. The Sox closed the month by going 5-15, largely as a result of their formerly dominant pitching falling off considerably. The staff ERA jumped more than a full run over that 20 game stretch from 3.17 to 4.27.
But the Sox ended May with a win and started June with the same, knocking off the Mets twice to put an end to an ugly seven-game losing streak. The Tigers return home after bookending a six-game road trip with victories but won’t have much time to savor a 3-0 win over Anaheim to end the trip. They play a makeup game with the Yankees on Thursday before their first matchup of the season with their division rival.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
Against the Mets on Monday, Jose Quintana (5-5, 2.13 ERA) allowed only a Neil Walker homer over seven innings, but still lost for a fourth straight time. The lefty allowed six hits total with a pair of walks and seven strikeouts. It was Q’s ninth quality start in 11 outings and lowered his AL-best ERA to 2.13. Walker’s home run was just the second Quintana has allowed in 72 innings this year.
Quintana has been victimized by a lack of run support over his past four starts with the Sox scoring a total of five runs in those games. He’ll face a tough righty-heavy lineup in Detroit with right-handed hitters batting .240 against him. Quintana is 2-2 and has yielded 51 hits and five homers with a 5.11 ERA over 37 innings at Comerica Park.
Justin Verlander (4-5, 4.11 ERA) had a scoreless duel going with the Angels on Monday before an RBI single broke the game open in the eighth inning. He got no help from his bullpen as reliever Buck Farmer allowed two inherited runners to score, spoiling Verlander’s bid for a quality start. He was pulled after tossing a season-high 116 pitches.
Verlander certainly pitched better than his line indicates and he’s been on lately, sporting a 1.91 ERA with 44 punchouts across 37.2 innings of his past five starts. Verlander has over a season’s worth of work in his career against the Sox, going 18-13 with a 3.95 ERA across 36 starts.
LIVE BETTING
The White Sox acquired Todd Frazier with hopes that the power-hitting third baseman could solve some of their offensive problems that plagued the team in 2015. So far, so good. Frazier has never hit for a high average. That’s not why he was brought to Chicago. He hits home runs, and a lot of them. He leads all major league third basemen with 118 long balls since 2012 and is on pace to break his own career high of 35, which was set last season.
Frazier homered for the second straight day and for the major league-leading 17th time in Wednesday’s win at New York. Each of his last three hits and five of his past nine have left the yard. While Frazier has 17 big flies on the year, the rest of the Sox have combined to hit 32, meaning Frazier has accounted for nearly 35 percent of the team’s home run total.
QUICK PICK
The Sox are hoping a two-game winning streak followed by an off day is enough to overcome a brutal stretch that saw them plummet from first place to third in the AL Central standings. Chicago ended the month of May with just five wins in 20 games, but took the final two from the NL champion Mets before heading to Detroit.
The record of the starters isn’t indicative of how well each has pitched lately. The term “deserves a better fate” and Quintana have worked together too often lately, though the lefty doesn’t seem to be unnerved by the lack of W’s. He keeps pitching and holding his team in games while putting up peripherals that are Cy Young worthy. It may be a bit more difficult against a Tigers lineup loaded with right-handed hitters, but Q will get the job done, like he always seems to.
MLB Odds: Chicago 4, Detroit 2
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 Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers is scheduled for Sunday, June 5, 2016, at 1:10 p.m. ET at Comerica Park.
