MLB Best Bet: Take the Underdog in White Sox-Guardians Rubber Match

This AL Central matinee should be close, so it’s a good idea to go with the plus money.

It’s been a while since we backed an underdog, so let’s give it a try today. At +120, here’s why I’m putting a bet on the White Sox to beat the Guardians on Wednesday.

Michael Kopech gets the start for the Sox, and though he had a rough start to the season, he has settled down in May, logging two wins and an ERA of 2.55. In his last outing, he pitched eight scoreless innings vs. Kansas City, allowing only one hit. The Guardians are averaging a mere 3.46 runs per game across the past two weeks with a .244 batting average, so if Kopech has his best stuff, he should be able to keep the White Sox competitive.

The White Sox bullpen, which we formerly targeted in a lot of our over plays early in the season, has tightened up in May, owning a 2.82 ERA this month (fourth-best in MLB).

On the other side of this one, Cal Quantrill gets the start for the Guardians. Quantrill has an ERA of 4.06 with an xERA of 5.40. He has also been better in May, but there are two White Sox who have good career numbers vs. the righty. Tim Anderson is batting .412 across 17 career at-bats vs. Quantrill and Andrew Benintendi has an OPS of 1.104 in 15 at-bats.

This game looks to be closely matched and each team has already taken a game in this series with the run totals going under on both occasions. I’m going to give the edge to White Sox pitching, and I think they can win this in a close one. With it being this close, I’ll always take the value at +120.

The Bet: White Sox +120

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