The reeling Chicago White Sox clash against their cross-town rival Chicago Cubs Tuesday night inside Wrigley Field from Chicago, Illinois. They toss out the first pitch at 8:05 pm as both teams go through some nasty rough patches.
Bookmaker has installed the White Sox as + 230 on the ML.
The White Sox are in the midst of one of the worst seasons in franchise history and are easily on pace to lose 100-plus games this season. They have zero offense to speak of, and their starting staff has been rocked all season long.
On offense, they are led by right fielder Gavin Sheets, who has hit five home runs this season and a batting average of .237. The White Sox are hitting just .217 on the season, and they have had a hard time getting on base consistently. They really have no power in their lineup to speak of.
They need their starting rotation to go at least five-plus innings into games and try to work on lowering that 4.85 ERA. They do not have the horse to take them deep into games, but if they can hang around and not give up early runs, they can at least give their offense a shot.
Chris Flexen gets the nod for the White Sox, who are hoping he can pick up his third win of the season. He has an ERA of 5.50 on the season.
The Cubs have picked an awful time for a losing streak, but the White Sox might be the team to fix their slide. Entering this season, the Cubs have dropped nine out of 11 overall, and they can ill afford to have a trip up against the White Sox.
The Cubs can score, though. They have a much more consistent offense than the White Sox, and they can get on base. Third baseman Christopher Morel has been having a nice start to the season, slugging 10 home runs but only hitting .187.
They are hitting only .228 as a whole offensive unit on the season, and if they want to make a run, they need to take care of business against the White Sox. They do not take a ton of risks on the base paths, as they have only swiped 38 bases this season.
If the Cubs can score early and put pressure on the White Sox's starting rotation, they should coast in this game. They should be able to score at least five runs and knock out Flexen early in this one.
The Cubs are 1-4 in their last five games and 1-4 in their previous five games against the spread. They are also 16-15 in their road games against the number and the totals have gone over in four out of their last five games and 13 out of their last 29 games at home. The White Sox are 1-4 in their previous five games against the spread and a lowly 9-20 in their road games against the number. The totals have gone over in three out of their last five games.
