Houston Ready To Start Defense of World Series Title
Opening Day of the baseball season is always an interesting one for people making MLB picks.
The Houston Astros are coming into the season off the high of winning the franchise’s second World Series title. Houston is starting this season as the heavy favorite to win the American League West and is seeking its fifth appearance in the World Series since 2017.
The Chicago White Sox fell flat last season. In a weak American League Central. The White Sox never found their mojo and were on the outside of the playoffs.
White Sox Ready To Break in New Manager
The Chicago White Sox made MLB news by hiring Pedro Grifol for his first big league managerial job.
The White Sox will be anchored at the top of their rotation by Dylan Cease. If not for an outstanding season by former Astros pitcher Justin Verlander, Cease would have been the American League Cy Young winner last season.
Cease, a right-handed pitcher, threw 184 innings last season and recorded a 2.20 ERA and 227 strikeouts.
Chicago’s lineup will be led by outstanding shortstop Tim Anderson. Anderson, who has been named an All-Star during the past two seasons, hit .301 in 79 games last season with six home runs and 25 RBIS.
Astros Once Again Have all the Pieces
The current MLB lines favor the Houston Astros, as they are expected to win a lot of games when opening day starter Framber Valdez takes the hill.
Valdez, a left-hander who was named an All-Star for the first time last season, notched a 17-6 record with a 2.82 ERA in 201.1 innings pitched. Overall, as a team, the Astros are once again loaded.
However, Houston won’t be fully equipped to play as the season starts. The Astros will be without All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve and outfielder Michael Brantley, who are out with injuries.
Due to having players out with injuries, Houston had three rookies — outfielder Corey Julks, catcher Cesar Salazar and catcher/first baseman Yainer Diaz — make the Opening Day roster.
White Sox vs Astros Game Injuries
White Sox vs Astros Head-to-Head
A quick look at the past scores and odds reveals that the Astros and White Sox split their four meetings last season. Houston won the last regular season meeting between the teams, 21-5.
White Sox vs Astros Game Information
- Game: Chicago White Sox (0-0) at Houston Astros (0-0)
- Location: Minute Maid Park
- Day/Time: Thursday, 7 p.m. ET
- White Sox vs Astros Live Stream: MLB.tv
White Sox vs Astros Betting Lines
White Sox vs Astros Picks and Prediction
According to the MLB playoffs odds, it is likely that either one or both of these teams will end up qualifying for the playoffs at the end of the season. But that time is far away from now, as the 162-game MLB season will take many twists and turns, as both teams found out last season.
The Astros will be excited to welcome the eyes on Minute Maid Park as they celebrate their World Series title from last year. Houston won’t want to let the home fans down and will grab a victory over Chicago in what should be a well-pitched, exciting season opener.
When making your online sports betting picks, go with the Astros!
The Houston Astros are listed at -153 in our MLB lines. This means that if you wager $100 on Astros, you have a chance to win $65. The White Sox are +138, offering a chance to win $138 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Astrosa 60.47% chance to win, with White Sox at 42.02%
White Sox vs Astros Trends
White Sox vs Astros Edge
White Sox vs Astros Results
White Sox vs Astros Game Summary
