A pair of slumping division rivals will look to get back on track Saturday afternoon when the defending World Series champion Royals head to the Southside of Chicago to battle a White Sox team they’ve taken five of six from to date.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
It hasn’t gone as planned for the Royals who many had pegged as having a high probability of repeating as world champs at the outset of the season. As it is, Ned Yost’s squad sits just two games over .500 for the season to produce a nominal $201 profit for their betting backers. Six teams currently sit ahead of them per the current American League pennant odds, and you can currently get them at a healthy 22-1 return if the club could rediscover its winning ways from a year ago and go on to once again win the World Series.
If you seriously thought the White Sox were as good as their record after the month of April, I’ve got some prime real estate to sell you up in Alaska. Everything about Chicago’s roster is flawed from the pitching staff’s inability to strike opposing batters out, to the offense batting just .249 with runners in scoring position, and the team swiping a grand total of 25 bases. Detroit, KC and Cleveland have all zipped passed them in the AL Central standings, and if things don’t improve dramatically, they could end up battling the Twins for last place come season’s end.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
The Royals’ starting staff owns a collective 4.92 ERA. That ranks out as No. 24 in all of baseball and No. 13 in the American League. Only the A’s and Twins possess starting staffs with a worse output. Chris Young has done no favors to that output with his 6.37 ERA and .275 batting average against over the course of his eight starts. While decent at home, the veteran has been absolutely tattooed on the road where he’s 0-5 and boasts a pathetic 9.70 ERA and 1.83 WHIP. The opposition has raked him for a .340 BAA and he now has to pitch in one of the more unfriendly ball parks in the bigs.
Jose Quintana looked the part of an ace through his first eight starts of the year in tossing quality efforts in all but one and logging wins five times. He also proved to be an innings eater early in going seven-plus four times, but he’ll enter his thirteenth start of the season having gone 6.1 innings or less in three of his last four. Last time out, he was gouged by the Tigers for nine hits and 5 ER through just 4.2 innings to log his shortest stint of the season. He has been at his best at home however where he’s 3-2 with a 2.36 ERA and 0.90 WHIP, so it’s likely he bounces back here against a struggling Kansas City offense that got to him already once this season.
LIVE BETTING
Kansas City has flat out dominated the White Sox dating back to last season. Over the rival’s last 20 meetings, Kansas City is 13-7 with the over cashing in at a 10-9-1 clip.
This year, the Royals have come out on top in five of the six meetings with the total split right down the middle. KC took two of three in their first visit to the “Cell” back in last May, and have come out victorious in seven of their last 10 overall visits.
QUICK PICK
The Palehose have been at their best against right-handed pitching all season long. They’re 25-21 overall and up $310 against them to date, and they must come out on top of this game with the starting pitching advantage they own going into it.
Quintana has been at his best at home, and while he’s been a bit more hittable in day games, he must find a way to exorcise his demons against the Royals whom he’s 1-7 against lifetime. KC hasn’t been as good against left-handed pitching as they were a short season ago, and the offense has been scuffling having plated one or less runs in five straight heading into Wednesday.
Chicago must take advantage!
MLB Odds: White Sox 9, Royals 3
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