The AL East leading New York Yankees lost consecutive games for the first time in three weeks dropping the final two at Texas as they make their final stop on a lengthy road trip. After breaking out of a season long offense slumber on a successful road trip, the White Sox look to improve on their Major League-worst runs per game average at home.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The White sox moved themselves back into the thick of the crowded American League wild card race by winning seven of eight on their most recent road trip, finishing in the black 7.04 units on the moneyline. The trip concluded with an 8-2 loss to Boston on Thursday. The successful run also turned the team from sellers to buyers at the trade deadline as they showed a glimpse of what many thought they’d see at the start of the season. Chicago’s struggling offense busted out on the trip scoring 56 runs and cashing the over six times. But the Sox return home where they average a major league-worst 3.2 runs per game and lost five of six before packing their bags.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Iván Nova (3-3, 3.38 ERA) asked out of his most recent start after just five innings and 75 pitches due to what the Yankees called “arm fatigue.” He believes it’s a normal part of the recovery process from Tommy John surgery and stated, “I’m not hurt.” Nova picked up the win at Texas allowing two runs while tossing the required number of innings.
In three starts at U.S. Cellular Field, Nova is 2-1 with a 3.72 ERA but he hasn’t pitched there since Aug. 21, 2012.
If he’s still in a White Sox uniform, Jeff Samardzija (8-5, 3.94 ERA) will pitch the series finale. He cruised through most of the first eight innings, allowing just two runs, but stumbled trying to close out the game in the ninth and was deprived of a quality start in a 9-4 win at Boston on Tuesday. Samardzija has a 4-1 mark, 2.78 ERA and 0.97 WHIP over his last nine starts.
Samardzija tossed seven shutout innings at the Yankees in his only career start against them on May 21, 2014 when he was with the Cubs.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“We’ve been playing great. We have 24 guys in there that didn’t deserve tonight. I should have been better for them. At least we know the reason why we lost this game. We need to keep our heads up. We’ve been playing great, swinging the bats well.” – White Sox pitcher Chris Sale after giving up 12 hits and seven runs in a loss to Boston, ending Chicago’s seven-game win streak.
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
It’s been a difficult stretch for White Sox designated hitter Adam LaRoche, who was given the first two games of the series at Boston off as he works through a dismal slump. He is batting .139 with no home runs in 23 games this month and struck out 14 times in the final six games before being temporarily benched. Even the team’s offensive awakening has been unable to spark LaRoche’s bat. He had one hit in eight at-bats in the final two games at Boston after his two-game hiatus. The White Sox used Adam Eaton and Emilio Bonifacio as the DH in the two games LaRoche sat out. Facing Iván Nova might fuel a resurgence as LaRoche has two hits in three career at-bats against him with a double and home run.
PROP TALK
Melky Cabrera has been a huge part of the White Sox offensive explosion and has been one of baseball’s hottest hitters since the All-Star break. Cabrera is hitting .393 over his last 14 games but was cooled a bit in Thursday’s loss to Boston as his eight-game hitting streak ended. He hit .514 during his streak with 19 hits in 37 at-bats and had multiple-hit games in each of his last seven during the run raising his average to .284. Included in that stretch were 11 extra base hits, 10 runs scored and 12 RBIs. Cabrera has destroyed Nova during their battles with six hits in nine at-bats, including a pair of home runs and a double.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
A recent surge of wins has fans on the south side excited about their White Sox. It’s taken over half the season but the club is finally playing like many thought they would after an offseason makeover. But the Sox haven’t done anything yet. They still trail Minnesota by a handful of games for the second wild card and several other teams are closer to the Twinkies than they are. Good news is they still have six head-to-head meetings with Minnesota and it appears as though the roster will be kept intact.
Chicago 5, New York 2
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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 New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox is scheduled for Sunday, August 2, 2015, at 2:10 p.m. ET at U.S. Cellular Field. The contest will be broadcast nationally on TBS.
