Royals vs. White Sox Prediction
The White Sox have used solid pitching and the long ball to take a 2-0 series lead against the Royals. Can bettors count on Chicago finishing off the sweep today at 2:10 p.m. ET?
Game Snapshot & Odds
913 Kansas City Royals (-110) at 914 Chicago White Sox (-110); 8.5 runs
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
2:10 p.m. ET, Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago, IL
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Public Betting Trends
According to our MLB Public Betting Chart page, 51% of the betting tickets are on the Royals to beat the White Sox on the moneyline.
Kansas City Royals Fantasy Spin
Lucas Duda went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday’s loss to the White Sox. Duda actually gave the Royals a fleeting lead in the second inning when he deposited a hanging breaking ball from Sox starter Reynaldo Lopez into the right field seats. The homer was his second in 12 games this year. Duda earned his way onto the Royals roster out of spring as has batted .222/.353/.481 in the early days of the season.
Chicago White Sox Fantasy Spin
Yonder Alonso went 4-for-4 with a home run in Tuesday’s win over the Royals. Alonso had a pair of singles and a double before he blasted a solo jack in the eighth inning to extend the White Sox lead. It was easily the best game of the year for the 32-year-old, who had just seven hits in 46 at-bats coming into the game. After Tuesday’s outburst, Alonso is batting .220/.371/.420 with three homers and nine RBI.
MLB Betting Trends
Kansas City
The Royals are 1-5 in their last six road games versus the White Sox.
Chicago
The White Sox are 6-1 in Lucas Giolito’s last seven starts versus the Royals.
Prediction:
I know I’m asking for it when it comes to backing the White Sox with an opportunity to sweep, but I do like Chicago’s odds this afternoon. Brad Keller has a 2.45 ERA but it’s mostly smoke and mirrors. He’s fared well in the early going because of his healthy strikeout (21.9%) and groundball (50.7%) rates but he also owns a 12.4% walk and 35.8% hard contact rate through four starts. Those two things will inflate his ERA sooner than later. Chicago starter Lucas Giolito is the opposite, as his ERA 6.19 does not match his 4.49 SIERA. Granted, that 4.49 SIERA isn’t good, but he too is striking batters out consistently and the Royals’ projected lineup has an average K rate of 24% against right-handed pitching. I trust Giolito more than Keller based on the advanced metrics.
The Pick: Chicago White Sox -110