The Chicago White Sox entered the 2022 MLB betting season the odds-on favorite to win the AL Central and a bonafide contender to win the World Series. With 10+ weeks of the campaign in the books, Tony LaRussa’s troops have grossly failed to live up to expectations. Currently in third place within the division and needing to make up a ton of ground just to get back into the wild card discussion, the team is starting to get back some of the key cogs it’s been forced to play without since Opening Day. One of those pieces is right-hander Lance Lynn who will toe the bump in the finale of this weekend’s series with a Houston Astros squad that entered it with the second-best record in the American League. He didn’t look good in his debut against the Tigers earlier this week, and it doesn’t bode well for him tonight squaring off against Yordan Alvarez and Co. with a nationally televised audience looking on. I view this as yet another rehab start for Lynn who looked extra hittable in his debut. As such, I’ll be laying the home wood with the Astros at online sportsbooks with Cristian Javier on the bump.
First pitch for the series finale between the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros is scheduled for Sunday, June 19, 2022, at 7 p.m. ET from Minute Maid Park. This week’s Sunday Night Baseball telecast will air live on ESPN. Bet on MLB odds and player props at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
MLB Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
Regardless of the job MLB bettors feel LaRussa has done to this point of the season, the prospects don’t look bright for the Pale Hose even for when everyone on the IL returns to the playing field. This is a team that can’t put runs on the board No. 24, can’t excel either on the starting bump No. 23 or in the bullpen No. 22, and can’t play a lick of defense No. 23. It’s resulted in a poor 29-31 overall record that’s played to a $492 overall deficit for its wagering supporters. That being said, the squad sits 16-14 on the road where it’s actually put a few shekels in its supporter’s pockets $157. While Houston also has issues consistently pushing runs across the plate No. 22, it ranks out amongst the best in the game in all the other pertinent stat categories. The end result has been $240 in overall profit though its 16-10 home record has cost its backers upwards of $125.
Probable Pitchers
Lance Lynn R: Not much good came from the righty’s 2022 debut after failing to get through the fifth against the weak-hitting Detroit Tigers. He served up 10 hits and allowed 3 ER while also registering 4 K. His velocity was 1+ mph slower than it clocked in at a season ago, and he made a number of mistakes in and around the plate that got peppered. The righty was also taken to task in his limited rehab starts before being rushed to the big club, so it’s pretty safe to assume his arm still isn’t ready to take on the rigors of throwing at professional batting lineups. He’s 5-7 lifetime through 13 starts against the Astros with a 4.41 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and .788 batting average against. His ERA at “The Juice Box” comes in at 4.92 through nine starts.
Cristian Javier R: With Lance McCullers Jr. yet to throw a pitch this season and Jake Odorizzi on the IL with an ankle injury, Javier has been given another chance to flourish within Houston’s starting rotation. He hasn’t made the most of the opportunity in going 3-3 with a 3.20 ERA and 63:19 K/BB ratio. Houston’s dropped each of his last two starts, but the last against the Texas Rangers actually saw him go six innings for only the second time this season. He’s been at his absolute best in the comforts of Minute Maid where he stands 2-2 with a stellar 1.98 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and .177 BAA through four starts and 27.1 total innings of work. The White Sox are 21-23 versus right-handed pitching -$450 and average just 3.8 runs per game against them.
White Sox vs. Astros Prediction
With Chicago never seeing Javier’s stuff before and Lynn not looking like his normal self in any rehab start or his 2022 debut, I don’t foresee the finale of this pivotal set going well for the visiting team. Houston has lived up to seasonal expectations as it attempts to track down the unstoppable force that’s been the Bronx Bombers atop the AL standings. On the flipside, the White Sox are simply just trying to stay above water with it now needing to catch two teams ahead of it in the division standings. While I still have faith that they can do it, there’s simply just too many automatic outs in the bottom half of the current batting order for me to back them against a team playing like it can win another title right now. Lay the chalk with the home team!
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