White Sox, Tigers Set to Battle In Motown

Detroit has won two straight, sweeping a doubleheader with Cleveland on Wednesday to improve to 36-45. The Tigers are in third place in the AL Central, trailing the second-place Indians by 7½ games and leading the fourth-place Twins by two games.

The MLB odds have the White Sox with a moneyline of -140, while the Tigers are listed at +125. The over/under for the series opener has been set at 8½ runs.

Getting Hot

The White Sox’s four-game winning streak has featured a revived offense, with Chicago scoring 35 runs over the four contests. The team had scored a total of 20 runs in its previous eight games, going 1-7. The White Sox improved to 8-1 against Minnesota with its second straight three-game home sweep of the Twins.

“Sweeping them, that was huge for us,” catcher Zack Collins said after Thursday’s win. “I wouldn’t say anything is permanent in baseball until the season is over. It’s definitely good to get those three wins against those guys.”

Collins had a big game, going 2-for-3 with a home run and driving in two runs. The White Sox have plenty of depth at the catcher position, with Collins splitting time with Yasmani Grandal and Yermin Mercedes. Grandal has a team-high 14 home runs, 37 RBIs and 41 runs scored, while Mercedes is batting .271 with seven home runs, 37 RBIs, and 26 runs scored.

First baseman Jose Abreu leads the White Sox with 55 RBIs, hitting 12 doubles, a triple, 13 home runs and scoring 38 runs. Shortstop Tim Anderson is leading Chicago with a .291 batting average and 43 runs scored, hitting 13 doubles, six home runs and driving in 28 runs.

Right-hander Lance Lynn will be on the mound, bringing a 7-3 record and 2.06 ERA to his 15th start. Lynn has 90 strikeouts and 23 walks in 78⅔ innings of work.

Lynn got a win in his first matchup with the Tigers, going six innings and allowing one run on four hits, including a home run, while striking out six and walking two on June 3. The veteran has lost his last two decisions, then had his last start suspended to the next day after he went three innings and allowed no runs and no hits.

Looking For More

The Tigers will have right-hander Casey Mize on the mound, as he looks to improve on his 5-4 record and 3.46 ERA. Mize has 71 strikeouts and 26 walks in 88⅓ innings of work.

Mize has won his last two decisions, including a win in his last outing against Houston on Saturday. In that contest, Mize went six innings and allowed one run on six hits while striking out five and walking two. The 24-year-old took a loss against the White Sox on June 3, going seven innings and allowing three runs on five hits, including three home runs, in a 4-1 Chicago win.

Second baseman Jonathan Schoop is leading the Tigers in a number of categories, including batting average (.277), home runs (15), and RBIs (45). He also has 12 doubles and 38 runs scored.

Outfielder Robbie Grossman is the only other Detroit player with double-digit home runs, hitting 10. Grossman is batting .221 with 12 doubles, two triples, 36 RBIs, and a team-best 40 runs scored.

Series Outlook

The White Sox have dominated, winning eight of the first 10 matchups, including a three-game sweep in Detroit in early June. The Tigers are 19-21 at home, winning four of six since the last time Chicago was in town.

Detroit will have Tarik Skubal (4-7, 4.06 ERA) and Matt Manning (1-2, 8.16) on the mound for the last two games. Chicago will counter with Dallas Keuchel (6-2, 3.96) and Lucas Giolito (6-5, 3.84), giving the White Sox a pitching edge in each game.

The series prices for this three-game set have the White Sox as the favorites at -190, while the Tigers are listed at +155.

White Sox Take Opener

The Chicago offense is hitting on all cylinders right now, and the White Sox have dominated the Tigers this season. Lynn should keep that domination going from the mound in the series opener.

When doing your MLB betting, take Chicago to get the win on the road.

Pick: Chicago White Sox -140