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Division Leaders Begin Series in Milwaukee

· Jul 23 - 5 minutes read

The Chicago White Sox try to avoid a second straight loss when they take on the host Milwaukee Brewers in the first of a three-game weekend series between division leaders on Friday night. The series opener is scheduled for an 8:10 pm ET first pitch at American Family Field.

Chicago had a two-game winning streak snapped with a 7-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday. The White Sox are 58-38 and in first place in the AL Central, leading the second-place Cleveland Indians by nine games.

Eric Lauer of the Milwaukee Brewers throws a pitch in the second inning against the Kansas City Royals — John Fisher/Getty Images/AFP

Milwaukee has lost two in a row, getting swept by the Kansas City Royals to fall to 56-41. The Brewers lead the NL Central standings by 6½ games over the second-place Cincinnati Reds, while the third-place St. Louis Cardinals are seven games back.

MLB odds have the Brewers with a moneyline of -126, while the White Sox are listed at +116. The over/under for the series opener is set at 7½ runs.

Looking For More

The White Sox will have right-hander Lucas Giolito making the start. Giolito is 8-6 with a 3.90 ERA, striking out 133 and walking 33 over 113 innings.

Giolito is 2-1 with a 4.19 ERA in three starts in July. His last outing was a complete-game win over the Houston Astros on Saturday, as he gave up one run on three hits, including a home run, while striking out eight and walking none.

The Chicago offense was hot and cold against the Twins, scoring nine runs on Tuesday and just two runs in Wednesday’s loss. First baseman Jose Abreu went from finishing a single short of the cycle on Tuesday to managing just a single in four at-bats on Wednesday.

Abreu is batting .257, hitting 17 doubles, two triples, and 18 home runs while driving in 75 runs and scoring 50 times. Abreu is second in baseball with his RBI total.

Shortstop Tim Anderson is batting a team-best .312, which puts him 11th in the majors. He has 20 doubles, a triple, and nine home runs, driving in 36 runs and scoring a team-high 62 times. Anderson can be dangerous when he gets on base, with his 16 stolen bases tied for the seventh.

Championship Hangover?

The Brewers are denying that the success of the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Finals had anything to do with the team’s loss on Wednesday. About a dozen Brewers players attended the title-clinching win of the Bucks.

“I think it’s an easy thing to equate that,” Brewers pitcher Lauer said after Wednesday’s loss. “But everybody here, we’re all professionals. This is our job. This is what we do. I don’t think it has anything to do with it. It’s just circumstance; it happened to look that way.”

Right-hander Freddy Peralta will try to get the Brewers back on track. Peralta is 7-3 with a 2.39 ERA, striking out 135 and walking 44 over 98 innings.

Peralta hasn’t recorded a win since June 22. The 25-year-old took a no-decision in his last outing on July 10 against Cincinnati, going five innings and allowing three runs on two hits, including a home run, while striking out six and walking two.

Outfielder Avisail Garcia has been the most consistent bat for the Brewers, leading the team with a .257 batting average, 17 home runs and 57 RBIs. He also has hit 12 doubles and scored 40 times.

Outfielder Christian Yelich went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Wednesday’s loss. The Brewers are hoping the former NL MVP can get going over the next couple of months. Yelich is batting .244 with nine doubles, a triple, six home runs, 28 RBIs, and 43 runs scored in 64 games this season.

Series Outlook

This is the only series between these teams. The White Sox have gone 23-21 as the road team, while the Brewers are 27-23 at American Family Field.

Carlos Rodon (8-3, 2.14 ERA) will be on the mound for Saturday’s game for Chicago, followed by Lance Lynn (9-3, 1.94) on Sunday night. Milwaukee will counter with Corbin Burnes (5-4, 2.16) on Saturday and Brandon Woodruff (7-4, 2.04) for the series finale.

The MLB series prices for this three-game set have the Brewers as the favorites at -140, while the White Sox are listed at +110.

Brewers Take Opener

Milwaukee has played well at home this season, and Peralta has been very good at American Family Field, going 4-1 with a 2.04 ERA. The Brewers should be able to get some runs off Giolito and draw first blood in what should be a very tight series.

When doing your MLB picks, take Milwaukee to win at home.