The Chicago White Sox (18-19) and Kansas City Royals (14-22) meet for the rubber game of a 5-game set Thursday. First pitch from Kauffman Stadium is slated for a 2:10 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the White Sox vs. Royals odds with MLB picks and predictions.
Season series: Royals lead 4-3.
Chicago has scored just 6 runs over the last 3 games of this series. The Pale Hose have clocked a mere .608 OPS over their last 7 games.
Conversely and despite being shut out by these White Sox in game 1 of a Tuesday doubleheader, the Royals have notched an .813 OPS over their last 7 games.
White Sox at Royals projected starters
RHP Vince Velasquez vs. RHP Carlos Hernandez
Velasquez (2-3, 5.53 ERA) is slated to make his 7th start. He has a 1.52 WHIP, 3.9 BB/9 and 8.1 K/9 through 27 2/3 IP.
- Coming off a rocky outing Friday against the New York Yankees with 7 runs allowed on 8 hits (3 home runs) across 5 IP.
- Posted a 6.30 ERA in 94 1/3 IP last season between the San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies.
Hernandez (0-3, 9.11 ERA) has a 2.03 WHIP, 5.1 BB/9 and 4.4 K/9 through 26 2/3 IP across 6 starts.
- Coming off 2 straight clunkers on the road where he allowed a combined 15 R on 15 H across just 8 2/3 IP against the Baltimore Orioles and Colorado Rockies.
- Logged a 1.59 ERA over 3 starts against Chicago last season.
White Sox at Royals odds and lines
- Money line: White Sox -145 (bet $145 to win $100) | Royals +120 (bet $100 to win $120)
- Run line (RL): White Sox -1.5 (+110) | Royals +1.5 (-135)
- Over/Under (O/U): 9.5 (O: -107 | U: -115)
White Sox at Royals picks and predictions
Prediction
Royals 6, White Sox 5
Money line
Hernandez has certainly not looked like the hurler that clocked a 3.68 ERA in 85 2/3 IP last year, and the Kansas City bullpen may have some back-end availability issues in this game.
However, Hernandez has been beaten up by some luck-factor rates around the margins (54.7% left-on-base rate for example), and the ROYALS (+120) are worth a shot in this get-away day game.
Run line/Against the spread
Bettors wanting some cushion against a bullpen failure may want to take KANSAS CITY +1.5 (-135).
Over/Under
Neither bullpen is all that outstanding, and both offenses sport some Statcast numbers that would call for better production. With a forecasted temperature nearing the mid-80s and a double-digit wind blowing out to left-center, figure on the batters winning a few more battles in this one.
TAKE THE OVER 9.5 (-107).
Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
BaseballHQ Fantasy Baseball
BaseballPress.com: Your source for every MLB lineup