The Chicago White Sox had themselves an interesting offseason in which they brought in a couple new faces to help them contend in what could be a wide open AL Central this season. They've drawn the short straw of having to start the season out on the West Coast, and this task on Wednesday against the Oakland Athletics could be tricky against a team which should be improved at home from 2015.
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PITCHING MATCHUP
Young pitchers are rarely to be trusted in live betting, and there isn't much of a case for either Chris Bassitt or Carlos Rodon in this game, especially knowing that both teams don't have great bullpens to back up their young bucks early in the campaign.
Bassitt was quietly very good at home last year with a 2.28 ERA and 1.06 WHIP, but he went just 1-8 for the year and didn't get a lot of help from his mates in the lineup. Lefties only batted .217 against Bassitt last year, but the big concern we have are the righties.
Jose Abreu, Todd Frazier and Brett Lawrie crushed right-handed pitching last year, and Bassitt let righties hit .279 against him last season.
Live bettors though, aren't going to be overly impressed with what Rodon brings to the table either. He allowed just a ton of walks last season, and righties hit him around for a .272 average as well.
However, Rodon did pitch better late in games than he did early in them, and that's a sign of maturity already for a young pitcher. Men hit just .218 against Rodon after his 60th pitch of the game, and if he can get through the order the first time on Wednesday night, it might be relatively clear sailing for him from there.
ADVANCED STATS
The power numbers for the A's were embarrassing last year. They didn't have a single man hit more than 20 homers, and though Khris Davis comes to town with the threat of a 30-home run season, the fact that he's stuck playing here at the Oakland Coliseum 81 times might end up squashing that power as well.
As a team, Oakland only hit 60 home runs at home last season, and it showcased virtually no power with a team ISO of .140. Again, Davis might improve that just a bit, but there isn't much for live bettors to worry about backing Rodon save for the fact that he walks far too many batters.
TALKING BULLPENS
The White Sox paid a lot of money for David Robertson's services last year. He saved just 34-of-41 games, and though that percentage wasn't great, he still struck out 86 men in 63.1 innings and walked only 13.
Robertson's recent history suggests that he might end up being a bit of a gamble in the ninth, but against the A's, we have all the confidence in the world. The righty allowed seven homers in each of his last two seasons, but he shouldn't be giving up a deep ball in this park with as much velocity as he's bringing to the table, and live bettors should be confident that this game is over if he comes in while the game is close in the ninth.
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker's live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! Bet on baseball today as the Chicago White Sox and the Oakland Athletics square off on Wednesday, April 6, 2016 at 10:05 p.m. ET at the Oakland Coliseum. The matchup will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
