Opening Day has come and gone, and baseball season is officially in full swing. All 30 teams played yesterday, but today, Friday, March 31st, we have just five games on the slate. Today, we will be focusing on the second game of a four-game series between the defending World Series champion Astros and the Chicago White Sox. Chicago took game one last night in thrilling fashion, and we should have another great game on our hands tonight.
White Sox vs. Astros Betting Pick: Preview
Here are the odds at the time of posting for game two between the Chicago White Sox and the Houston Astros.
Friday, March 31 MLB Betting Notes, Courtesy of DraftKings
Moneyline: Houston Astros -150 vs. Chicago White Sox +130
Runline: Astros -1.5 +140 / White Sox +1.5 -165
Total: 8 runs (Over -105 / Under -115)
Game Time: 8:10 pm ET / 5:10 pm PT
Where: Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX
Weather: 80 degrees and partly cloudy
White Sox vs. Astros Analysis
Both Chicago and Houston got great efforts from their starting pitchers last night, but unfortunately for the Astros, their bullpen could not get it done. Andrew Vaugh hit a two-run double in the top of the ninth off Ryan Pressely to give the White Sox a 3-1 lead, and they went on to win 3-2. Houston’s bullpen was a bright spot last season, so seeing them blow a game early is not an encouraging sign.
Tonight, righty Lance Lynn takes the mound for Chicago, and righty Cristian Javier takes the mound for Houston. Lynn took part in the World Baseball Classic, and he made two starts and had a 3.00 ERA, a 0.78 WHIP, and a .188 batting average against, and he allowed three earned runs. Javier is coming off a great season for Houston last year.
Can the White Sox pull off another upset and start the season? Let’s dive into tonight’s matchup.
White Sox Preview
Chicago is interesting this year for a few reasons. For starters, they vastly underperformed last season, and there were a variety of storylines surrounding that locker room that made it difficult for this team to succeed. Pair that with injuries, and the White Sox 2022 season went south quickly. Pundits seem to have written off Chicago this year, but I am not so sure that’s the way to approach this team. They still have a solid rotation, a deep bullpen, and some studs in their lineup.
Lance Lynn will take the mound for the White Sox tonight in Houston. After finishing third in Cy Young voting in 2021, Lynn had a down year in 2022. Lynn hurt himself in Spring Training, he missed the first 9 weeks of the season, and he never fully recovered. In 21 starts last year, Lynn had a 3.99 ERA, a 3.82 FIP, a .246 batting average against, a 1.13 WHIP, and a 1.9 WAR. On the road, Lynn had a 1.12 WHIP, a 3.89 FIP, a .259 batting average against, and a .313 wOBA.
The White Sox had just three runs last night, but they were able to tag Valdez for six hits, and they finished the game with 11. Last season, the White Sox were 13th in the MLB in OPS on the road and 22nd in OPS against right-handed pitching. However, Houston was able to tack on runs against right-hander Ryan Pressley last night, so I think they can step up against right-handed pitching. Houston also used three relievers last night, so the Sox may have the advantage there.
Astros Preview
Houston almost mounted a comeback in the bottom of the ninth last night, but their chances of tieing the game quickly diminished. Houston prided itself on their pitching staff last season, and though it is early, it is already fair to wonder if this staff will be great without AL Cy Young winner Justin Verlander at the top of the rotation. Houston had just four hits last night, they struck out 13 times, and they committed two errors.
Cristian Javier will take the mound for his first start of the season tonight at home. Last season, Javier made 29 starts and had a 3.87 ERA, a 4.02 FIP, a .169 batting average against, and a .95 WHIP. At home, Javier had a 2.26 ERA, a .154 batting average against, a .248 wOBA, a 0.89 WHIP, and a 3.52 FIP. In one start against Chicago last year in June, Javier pitched five innings and allowed one run on two hits with five strikeouts.
So far, it seems like Houston is missing Jose Altuve. The Astros has just four hits last night, one being a solo home run from Yordan Alvarez in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Astros were ninth last season in OPS against right-handed pitching, and they were third in OPS at home. Houston saw three of Chicago’s relievers last night, so the White Sox should still have solid pitching late in tonight’s game.
White Sox vs. Astros Prediction
I am going right back to the well with the White Sox to pull off the upset tonight. Javier had a great 2022, but his high FIP last season has me a little bit concerned. He was great at limiting hits against him and keeping his WHIP down, but a 3.52 FIP for the numbers he had may mean he was lucky more than anything. Lance Lynn shook off some rust in Spring Training and in the World Baseball Classic, but he seems to be in great shape, and I expect Lynn to get out to a hot start tonight.
Prediction: White Sox ML +130
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