The Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox meet for the second straight time on Tuesday at Guaranteed Rate Field on the South Side of the Windy City.
These teams almost have identical win-loss records but while the White Sox are comfortably ahead in their division, the A’s are trying to make the playoffs via the Wild Card.
This series is the first two meetings between these teams since playing against each other in the 2020 MLB playoffs in Oakland last fall. Chicago won the opener in that series only to see Oakland come from behind to clinch the series. The White Sox defeated the A’s 5-2 in Game 1 on Monday night.
The A’s are 68-51 on the season and 34-26 away from home. Oakland is currently just 2.5 games behind the Houston Astros in the AL West division standings but is more focused on the wild card race where they have a one-game lead over the New York Yankees for the second wild card spot in the AL. Oakland is also just one-half game behind the Boston Red Sox for the first wild card spot.
Oakland ranks 13th in runs scored per game and they are 20th in batting average and hits per game. Matt Olson has been their best offensive weapon and he’s hitting .261 during the past week. Trade-deadline acquisition Starling Marte has also been red hot at the plate, going .321 this past week. Mitch Moreland and Matt Chapman each have hit three home runs during the last seven days.
Chris Bassitt will take the mound for the A’s in Game 2 of this series. The right-hander has an impressive 12-3 record with an ERA of 3.06 and a WHIP of 1.03 in a total of 150 innings pitched. Bassitt has not taken the loss since July 18th but he has yet to face the White Sox this season. He’s allowed just one run in his last 20 innings pitched.
The White Sox are 69-50 on the season and they have an impressive 40-22 record at home this season. Chicago is just 2-4 in its last six games but is still a wide 11 games ahead of the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central Division and only a monumental collapse would prevent them from winning the division title.
Chicago ranks seventh in the league in runs per game scored. They are sixth in batting average and 10th in hits per game. The White Sox are also 17th overall in home runs. Jose Abreu and Eloy Jimenez have hit three home runs each during the past week and have batted at over .400 during that span. Tim Anderson is hitting .360 for the week and he looks energized with the help he is now getting from the offense.
Reynaldo Lopez will start for the White Sox in Game 2. Lopez has pitched in just 10 games this season with 2 starts. He has a record of 1-0 with an ERA of 1.35. Lopez has not allowed more than one earned run in any appearance this season and if he gives Chicago a few strong innings of pitch work, they will have a good chance of winning two in a row in this series.
The A’s are 8-2 in their last 10 games played. Oakland is 5-0 in their last five road games when the total is set between 9-10.5, 8-1 in their last nine games against a right-handed starter, 8-2 in their last 10 games as betting favorites, 53-15 in their last 68 games against the American League Central, and 8-3 in their last 11 road games.
The White Sox are 5-1 in their last six Tuesday games. Chicago is 20-7 in their last 27 games when the total is set between 9 to 10.5, 5-2 in their last seven games against an opponent with a winning record, 4-1 in their last five games against the American League, and 55-26 in their last 81 games played at home.
Bassitt has pitched well in his last three starts. He has allowed just one run on 14 hits across 20 innings while striking out 21 and walking just three over that period, with a 0.45 ERA during that span.
The White Sox have a World Series-ready offense and half of their lineup has hit over .300 during the past week. I expect them to play well again as Chicago tries to win its second straight game and break out of their current slump.
Lopez has been good in his appearances this season, even in the shorter ones. He should be able to provide some trouble for an Oakland lineup that is dealing with some injuries.
I won’t blame you if you go with Bassitt but I see good value in the White Sox here. They have scored at least 5 runs in three out of their last four games played. I expect another big outing from Chicago in front of their fans.
Prediction: Chicago White Sox +103
The total has gone over in each of the last four games played by the Athletics. The over is also 4-0 in their last four games as favorite, 4-1 in their last five games against an opponent with a winning record, 6-2 in their last 8 Tuesday games, 5-2 in their last seven games against a right-hander, and 4-1 in their last five games played on the road.
The total has gone under in four out of the White Sox’s last six games played. The under is also 4-2 in their last six games against the American League, 4-1 in their last five Tuesday games, 9-4-1 in their last 14 games when the total is set between 9 to 10.5. However, the over is 6-1-1 in their last eight home games against a right-hander, and 5-2-3 in their last 10 games as betting underdogs.
Oakland and Chicago are ranked in the Top 10 in team ERA and Bassitt has been impressive in his last three starts with an ERA of 0.45. Lopez has pitched in just 10 games with only two starts but he has a solid ERA of 1.35.
However, the White Sox have one of the most potent offenses in baseball and it’s been on display over the past week. Jimenez and Abreu have three home runs each and are hitting over the .400 mark. The A’s themselves have some hitters who can make a difference and I think this gives good value on the over.
The over is also 4-0 in Bassitt’s last four starts against an opponent with a winning record. The over is also 4-0 in Lopez’s last four home starts when the total is set between 9 and 10.5 runs.
Prediction: Over 9
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