Chris Sale (2-0, 2.25 ERA) and the Chicago White Sox (6-8) go up against Yordano Ventura (2-1, 4.80 ERA) and the Kansas City Royals (11-4) in the first of a four-game division series at U.S. Cellular Field. The game gets underway at 8:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Apr. 23 and will air on CSN-CHI, FSN-KC and MLB Netw.
Sale is 7-8 with a 2.68 ERA against the Royals in his career, but is up against a solid Kansas City offense that’s hitting .303 on the year. Jose Abreu (.291, 7 Rs, 5 HRs, 12 RBIs) continued his strong season yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run, one home run, and three RBIs. In his career against the White Sox, Ventura is 2-2 with a 4.67 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 20 strikeouts. Lorenzo Cain (.377, 12 Rs, 2 HRs, 12 RBIs, 5 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one stolen base.
Chicago is a -147 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at seven runs. The White Sox are in an interesting position this season. While they have a notable winning record in games where they’re the favorite (3-1), their overall money line (-184) is less impressive. They have SU record of 6-4 and are unbeaten as the favorite (3-0) over their last 10 games.
On the other side, the Royals have an impressive record of 5-0 when they are the underdog and are +793 overall with the money line. They have played at the top of their game when rated as the underdog as of late. They managed a 4-0 record when playing as the underdog and an SU record of 7-3. Kansas City has stepped up their play against division opponents. They have averaged 6.5 runs per game, more than their season average of 5.8. The top hitting team in the league are the Royals, who have a .303 batting average. Kansas City is a terror on the base paths, ranking third in the MLB with 15 stolen bases. Kansas City’s pitching staff and defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking second in the AL with only 3.3 runs allowed per game. They have a WHIP of 1.08, second best in the MLB.
The previous three games have all gone Kansas City’s way. The White Sox will take on a right-hander (Ventura) in this game and have a 6-5 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Royals will be the left-hander Sale. They sport a 6-1 record against southpaws.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC, O/U – Over
Notes
Chicago won its last game in a shutout, its first of the season. Kansas City has been shut out two times this season.
The White Sox managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Royals who are coming in with a 5-1 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When outhit, both the White Sox and the Royals have records of 0-7.
Both falling in the bottom half of the league based on total home runs this season, Chicago ranks 20th with 12 homers and Kansas City is 17th with 13.
Ranking first in hits, Kansas City has earned 10.71 per game this season. Chicago ranks ninth with 8.00 hits.
Ranking 14th, Chicago is in the top half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.696). Kansas City ranks in the top five at second with an OPS of .826.
The Royals are 7-3 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The White Sox are 2-7 when they allow at least one homer.
