The Indians and White Sox have been lurking in the shadows of the AL Central for the past several years while Detroit and Kansas City have been doing all the damage. It could be time for both to make a move and they each have the talent to do it.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
The Indians did little to improve their offense, which left the pitching staff hanging much of last season. The collection of fine arms on the starting rotation have many believing the Indians could contend for the AL Central title, but that’s a reach for a team that finished 81-80 and in third place 13.5 games behind the Royals last year.
The White Sox will enjoy the time at home because it isn’t going to last long. After opening the season with a four-game set in Oakland, the Sox will play their next six on the road following this three-game series with AL Central rival Cleveland. The Sox have improved their season win total in each of the past two seasons and could be a surprise team in the division with a rebuilt lineup. The starting pitching is solid, led by Sale, and the bullpen is strong. The Sox will watch the back end of the rotation closely with veterans Mat Latos and John Danks slotted in the fourth and fifth spots. Better success during day games will also improve that win total. Chicago was 25-37 last season, the fourth-worst record in day games.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
Josh Tomlin will begin the season as Cleveland’s fifth starter, getting the surprise nod over Trevor Bauer. He helped his case by tossing six shutout innings against Seattle with 10 strikeouts and no walks in his final spring outing. The Indians are willing to give him a shot after he posted a 3.02 ERA with 7.8 strikeouts and 1.1 walks per nine innings over 10 starts last season after returning from shoulder surgery.
Two of his 10 starts in 2015 were against the White Sox, winning both times with a 2.38 ERA across 11.1 innings. He fanned 14 but did give up three home runs in those games.
Chris Sale had a solid opening day performance giving up three runs over seven innings with eight strikeouts in a victory over the Athletics. It was a good sign for the lefty who won just one start all last season when allowing three runs.
Sale pitched well against the Indians last season but was victimized by poor defense and a lack of runs. Six of the 13 runs he allowed were unearned and he went 1-2 with a 2.17 ERA in four starts, striking out 31 in 29.0 innings.
LIVE BETTING
If you like strikeouts, Sox starter Chris Sale is your guy. The lefty led the American League and finished third in MLB with 274 last season, his third consecutive campaign with at least 200 strikeouts. He’s never finished a season in his six-year big league career with less than a strikeout per inning, and for his career he averages 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. He opened 2016 by fanning eight Oakland batters in his 7.0 innings pitched and struckout out 31 Indians in 29 innings pitched last season. Sale’s 208.2 innings pitched in 2015 was seventh-most in the AL, yet he had 22 more strikeouts than the next closest pitcher among the six above him in innings pitched.
QUICK PICK
Though the Indians scored seven runs against Boston to pick up their first win of the season, don’t mistake them for an offensive juggernaut – because they’re not. There are plenty of holes in the lineup and as David Price showed on opening day, a quality left-handed starter can silence those bats. Sale is a quality left-handed starter. There’s a lot to like about the White Sox this MLB season. They’re solid at the top of the rotation and the offensive upgrades are sure to produce more wins. Tomlin is still a bit of an unknown despite a solid performance in limited starts. He had some success against the Sox, but this isn’t the same Chicago team.
MLB Odds: Chicago 5, Cleveland 1
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