MLB Odds - White Sox at Athletics Series Preview

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The Oakland Athletics have been trading off winning and losing streaks which could be a good thing, or a bad one, for the Chicago White Sox as the two teams kickoff a three-game series on Monday. The A’s have lost five straight going into the series, having two four-game winning streaks and a four-game losing streak preceding this most recent downturn. Will this one flip like all the others or will the down turn continue for Oakland?

This series will be contested from Monday, July 3, 2017 through Wednesday, July 5, 2017 at the O.co Coliseum in Oakland

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Pitching Matchups

Carlos Rodon and Jharel Cotton open the series on the mound. The two youngsters are both coming off injury. Rodon made his first start of the season on Wednesday, struggling with his command against the Yankees. Cotton will be making his first start since June 23.

Both Rodon and Cotton have already shown flashes of what they are capable of at the big-league level, but can either deliver on that potential?

The middle game of the series will feature James Shields for the White Sox. Daniel Gossett take the hill for the A’s.

Shields got back in the win column for the first time since April 6 his last time out, throwing 6.1 innings, giving up just a couple runs against New York. In six starts, Shields is 2-1 with a 3.98 ERA. That’s all great, but the deeper numbers paint a much bleaker picture.

The veteran right-hander has a 6.27 FIP in his 31.2 innings. He walked 17 batters in that time and has given up seven homers. His command has been off and he’s been very hittable. He’s also been very lucky. Can the luck hold out?

Gossett has made just four big league starts this year. The 24-year old is 1-3 in those four starts. He’s pitching to a 5.57 ERA in 21 innings.

After a bad first start, Gossett threw a couple quality starts before giving up five in five innings against Houston.

While Gossett’s performance in the Majors has been hit-or-miss in his first four starts, he was performing well at Triple-A Nashville before his promotion. In the difficult Pacific Coast League, he was 3-3 with a 3.41 ERA and 1.187 WHIP.

The series wraps on Wednesday with Sonny Gray on the mound against Mike Pelfrey.

Gray went 14-7 with a 2.73 ERA in 2015. He was third in the Cy Young Award voting that year. Since then, it’s been mostly downhill. He was 5-11 with a 5.69 ERA last year. He’s been better this year, but still not ace-level. He’s 3-4 with a 4.09 ERA.

The young right-hander is still a high upside hurler. He is coming off an amazing start last time out, giving up just a single run in eight innings. The big thing was he could command the bottom of the zone. He induced 14 groundballs.

Gray has now allowed just two runs in 15 innings over his last two starts. The strikeouts aren’t overly inflated in those two games, but the groundball to fly ball ratio is the headliner and key to his success. Watch early to see if he can keep the ball down.

As for Pelfrey, the well-traveled vet was let go by the pitching hungry Tigers. Since, he’s been a respectable starter. He’s only 3-6 with Chicago, but has a 4.13 ERA and 1.362 WHIP. His season ERA is actually very much in line with Gray’s season stats.

Who's Hot?

The overall numbers are still bad with a .213 average and .768 OPS, but Todd Frazier has been swinging the bat well lately. He’s hit three homers in the last week and eight in the last 30-days, elevating himself to a top option for teams looking for third base help.

In the last month, Frazier has been more than just a power bat, too. He’s hitting .269 with a .389 OBP, drawing walks, moving runners and driving them in.

Beyond Frazier, Jose Abreu is swinging it with a .316 average and five jacks of his own in the last month. Meanwhile, Melky Cabrera is hitting .330 in his last 28 games with a .384 OBP as he’s setting the table for the heart of the order.

Avisail Garcia hasn’t cooled too much from his hot start either. He’s still hitting over .300 in the last month and has a .318 overall average.

While Chicago has seen a few players heating up, the same is true for the A’s.

Khris Davis has slammed four homers in his last six games and is batting .316 in that time. In the last month, he’s hitting .324 with seven bombs and a 1.010 OPS. Ryon Healy has hit 10 homers in his last 28 games with a .294 average and .946 OPS.

The power has been there even as Yonder Alonso has reverted closer to his career norms.

Who's Not?

Tim Anderson is one of the keys to the White Sox’s future, but it’s been a rough present. He’s hitting .242 on the year and is batting .204 with a .233 OBP and .519 OPS in the last 26 games. He’s also struck out 32 times.

In that same time, Matt Davidson—for all the power he’s provided—has struck out 45 times in 91 at-bats. There’s just no way to sustain production with that much swing-and-miss.

In the pen, Tommy Kahnle is still getting the job done mostly, but he’s allowed seven runs in his last 11.2 innings. He’s also given up 13 hits. Now, he has struck out 16. That’s still a strength, but he’s shown to be a bit more hittable.

For Oakland batters, strikeouts are a plenty, but most are coming from hitters who are still rather effective, Matt Olson being an exception. He’s batting .184 with 21 strikeouts in just 16 games.

Beyond Davis, Healy and Alonso, there’s still not a whole lot of quality. There are youngsters like Bruce Maxwell making a nice splash and a few others like Jed Lowrie who are serviceable, but this is still a lineup with many holes.

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