The Chicago White Sox (13-27, 6-11 home) and Houston Astros (20-18, 12-7 away) take the field in the second game of a three-game MLB series on the southside of Chicago. Houston picked up the first win of the series, knocking off Chicago, 5-1, in the series opener on Friday night.
The first pitch of Saturday’s tilt is at 7:15 p.m. EST inside Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. The White Sox are the betting favorite (-125 moneyline), while the over/under total is 8.5 runs.
What to Know – Houston Astros
Houston enters the weekend riding a three-game winning streak after securing a pair of wins to close out the MLB series against the Los Angeles Angels earlier in the week. The Astros are third in the American League West standings, trailing the Angels and Texas Rangers.
Right-hander Brandon Bielak (0-1, 4.15 ERA, 1.96 WHIP) is the expected starter for the visitors. Bielak has appeared in two games this season after being called up for the injured Jose Urquidy. Through two games, he’s logged 8.2 innings, allowing four runs on 12 hits and five walks while striking out six batters.
Offensively, Houston is 19th in the majors with a .238 team batting average and score 4.4 runs per game. The Astros’ pitching staff ranks second in the MLB with a sparklingly 3.30 team earned run average.
Yordan Alvarez has led the Astros’ offense through the first quarter of the season. Alvarez leads Houston in home runs (9) and runs batted in (35). Kyle Tucker has also had a solid start at the dish with six home runs and 25 RBIs.
What to Know – Chicago White Sox
The White Sox continue to struggle out of the gate this season and have lost four of their last five contests. Chicago is fourth in the AL Central, 14 games under .500, and trailing the first-place team by 8.5 games.
The probable starter for the White Sox is righty Dylan Cease (2-2, 5.58 ERA, 1.51 WHIP). The 27-year-old is hoping to bounce back after his worst performance of the MLB season in his last outing. Through 40.1 innings of action, Cease has surrendered 25 earned runs on 41 hits and 20 walks with 49 punchouts.
Chicago is 22nd amongst league teams featuring a .235 team batting average while scoring 4.2 runs per contest. The pitching staff for the White Sox ranks 29th in the majors with a 5.66 team ERA.
Luis Robert Jr. is Chicago’s top hitter smacking nine home runs and driving in 24 runs. Tim Anderson returned to the lineup after missing a majority of April and came in hitting just .241 with five RBIs. Yoan Moncada also returned to action while the White Sox lost Eloy Jimenez to injury.
The Pick is In
The train keeps rolling for the Astros on the road. Bielak might struggle, but the lack of offense in the White Sox lineup will be an issue for the hosts. Houston wins in fourth in a row heading into Sunday’s series finale.
The Pick: Houston Astros ML
