Houston Astros (95-67) vs Chicago White Sox (93-68)
Game Info: Thursday, October 7, 2021 at 4:07 pm (Minute Maid Park)
Lance McCullers Jr. (13-5) (3.16) vs TBD
Betting Odds: Houston Astros -130 / Chicago White Sox +100 --- Over/Under: 8 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros face off on Thursday in the ALDS at Minute Maid Park. The Astros won five of the seven games against the White Sox this season.
The White Sox finished the regular season with a 93-69 record which was enough to win the American League Central. The White Sox have a talented lineup that is averaging 4.91 runs per game which is 7th best in baseball. On the road, the offense is a little worse but still strong averaging 4.74 runs per game. Eight different players for the White Sox have hit at least ten home runs. The top player has been Jose Abreu and he has hit 30 home runs and driven in 117 RBI’s. Outside of Abreu though, the top RBI leader has been Yasmani Grandal who has driven in 62 RBI’s. As a team, they are batting .255 against right-handed pitchers.
The Astros finished the regular season with a 95-67 which put them in first place in the American League West. Three different players have hit at least 30 home runs. Yordan Alvarez has been the top player for Houston hitting 33 home runs and driving in 104 RBI’s. Kyle Tucker has also hit 30 home runs and driven in 92 RBI’s. Five different players have driven in at least 80 runs, and in this game, the Astros need to lean on their offense to find success.
Getting the start for the Astros is Lance McCullers Jr who sits with a 13-5 record and an ERA of 3.16. In each of his last three starts, he has gone six innings and given up a total of eight runs.
The White Sox are 7-1 in their last eight games. The Astros are 8-1 in their last 9 Divisional Playoff home games. The under is 6-2-1 in White Sox’s last nine games overall. The over is 6-2-1 in Astros last 9 during game 1 of a series. The White Sox are 0-4 in their last four meetings in Houston.
I don’t trust the White Sox’s pitching and the Astros offense is just too talented to be held down. McCullers is going to have another quality start giving up only a run or two, and this game is going to get ugly early. Look for the Astros to win this game on the run line. I will also be throwing a few dollars on the Astros -2.5.