The Minnesota Twins will take on the Chicago White Sox in Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois Monday at 5:10 p.m. ET, the first meeting in a four-game series.
This matchup will only be seven innings and will be followed by the second half of the doubleheader at 8:10 p.m. BetUS will provide MLB odds for both contests, as well as the rest of the action throughout Major League Baseball.
Game-One Outlook
Chicago White Sox
The White Sox head into the divisional matchup as clear favorites, boasting a 56-36 record that is eight games ahead of the second-place Cleveland Indians and 17 games ahead of the Twins. Chicago has won seven of its last eight games, including two out of three against the American League West-best Houston Astros. They’re looking dangerous to start the second half of the regular season.
Though the Sox lack power batters and are in the bottom-third in total home runs, they are third overall in scoring; this is largely thanks to their league-leading on-base percentage of .340 and their fourth-best batting average of .257. They are a consistent bunch that has proven to be smart and effective in situational moments, even if they lack a headline-grabbing slugger.
Chicago’s best offensive player this season has been Jose Abreu, who has hit .252 for 16 homers and 69 runs batted in, the fourth-highest individual mark in the MLB. The regular first baseman has spent all eight of his Major-League seasons with the Sox and has been a model of consistency since debuting in 2014.
The White Sox’ bullpen has helped prop up their offense in a similarly impressive manner, claiming the league’s fifth-best batting average allowed and seventh-best team earned run average. They have been able to assert themselves on the bump with great regularity, helping lead them to their 56-36 standing.
Carlos Rodón, Michael Kopech and Liam Hendriks toss a combined 1-hitter to shutout the Astros! pic.twitter.com/Yqch44pB5P
Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 18, 2021
Carlos Rodon and Lance Lynn have been menaces on the mound, combining for a record of 17-6 and posting ERAs of 1.99 and 2.14 respectively — Lynn will be on the mound in Monday afternoon’s seven-inning matchup and will have the chance to continue the best year of his lengthy career.
Minnesota Twins
The Twins had a rocky return to play, dropping three straight to the lowly Detroit Tigers and falling to 39-53 and fourth place in the AL Central.
“If you look at what both teams did offensively today through seven innings of play, they’re probably not the types of at-bats we’re used to seeing from some of these guys lately,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “I’ll bet some of that is from five days off.”
Minnesota has been slightly above average at the plate, even though their record does not reflect it; the ballclub ranks in the top-half in scoring and batting average and has knocked in the third-most home runs in baseball, though they are still sub .500.
Nelson Cruz has been the shining light of the Twins’ offense, having hit .301 for 18 home runs and 47 RBIs. The usual designated hitter has not left the yard in his past 12 games, however, and has only recorded two hits in nine at-bats since returning from the All-Star Break.
The Twins’ pitching staff has been the source of their disappointment this year, managing to only secure the 27th-best ERA in baseball. Jose Berrios has been the team’s best performer, though his 7-3 record and 3.48 ERA are far from unheard of for a team’s number-one.
Griffin Jax, a rookie, will get the second start of his Major-League career, having allowed six earned runs in five innings during his last appearance, which was also his only start.
The Odds
The White Sox are sportsbook favorites on the runline at -110, while the Twins are -110 underdogs; Chicago is also a -230 favorite on the moneyline to Minnesota’s +190.
The over/under has been set at 4.5, with -125 odds on the over and -105 on the under.
The Pick
The White Sox should be expected to take this matchup for nearly every reason in the book; they are better, have been better, are leading the season series 10-2, are playing at home, and have their best pitcher in the starting lineup.
Put the house on the White Sox to win, and think nothing more of it — this is an easy call.
