What a difference a couple weeks makes. Both Chicago and Minnesota were within striking distance of Cleveland at just 1.5 games back before the Guardians rattled off 16 wins in 18 games. Over that same span the White Sox have gone 5-9 and Minnesota 5-12.
Thanks to a freefall and the Guardians getting red hot, the Tuesday White Sox at Twins matchup is for nothing more than who will finish second in the division. Technically neither team is mathematically out of the playoffs yet, but with Chicago 7.5 back and Minnesota 9.5 back with 9 to play the elimination is a formality at this point. The Sox are a -126 road favorite here.
Chicago Has Quit
Technically the White Sox season doesn’t end until October 5th against these Twins, but for all intents and purpose Chicago has shut things down for the year. The White Sox are probably glad to get out of the Windy City, losing six straight home games against the Guardians and most recently the last place Tigers.
Chicago is just 12-11 in this make or break month of September, and they are 6-7 against the Twins this season. The Sox offense has tanked scoring 3 runs or less in five straight games. Gavin Sheets is finishing strong with a .308 average and 2 HRs over his past five tilts, but Jose Abreu (.176), Yoan Moncada (.150), Elvis Andrus (.143), and Andrew Vaughn (.063) are all slumping over the past week.
Chicago has also shut down Luis Robert (wrist) for the rest of the season and Tim Anderson (finger) could soon follow him. Therefore starter Lance Lynn (7-6, 4.02 ERA) should be bracing for not a lot of run support in the Tuesday White Sox at Twins matchup. Lynn has struggled vs. Minnesota this year, allowing 5ER in 5.0 IP on July 6th and then 6ER in 5.0 IP just 10 days later.
Last Home Stand for Twins
Tuesday marks the start of the final home stand of the year for the Twins. This has to be considered a disappointing year for Minnesota, as they spent money in the offseason to land Carlos Correa and were in first place in the Central for a majority of the season. The Twins being atop the division might just be because the AL Central was extremely mediocre this season, as Cleveland’s 86 wins are still the fewest of any division leader.
Minnesota has gone just 7-17 in September and they’ve lost six of their last seven. Five of the last six defeats have come against the Angels and Royals – two teams a combined 46 games under .500. Perhaps the only bright spot for the series opener is that Luis Arraez (.313) is hitting .350 in his career against Lynn as he tries to catch Aaron Judge (.314) for the AL batting crown.
Another positive for Minnesota is that they are getting some innings from Bailey Ober (1-3, 3.71 ERA) down the stretch. The 6’1″ right hander was out from June 1st to September 16th with an aponeurotic plate injury. He’s posted a 2.70 ERA in two starts since returning.
Free Tuesday White Sox at Twins Betting Pick
Chicago just lost all six games at home, so they’ll be happy to get on the road after their fans were less than thrilled with the mediocre play over the past couple weeks (or all season). The White Sox are 7-2 in their last 9 road games and have won six of the last eight against Minnesota this season. That’s not a bad -126 price tag considering those trends.
Free Pick: White Sox -126
