Royals vs. White Sox Pick
Will the Chicago White Sox keep their surprising win streak going when they host the Kansas City Royals tonight at 7:10PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Kansas City is favored on the road, as the Royals are getting odds of -145 to win, while the White Sox are listed with a money line of +125 to prevail. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 10.5 runs.
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The pitching matchup tonight has Ian Kennedy (4-8, 4.83 ERA) on the mound for the Royals to face James Shields (2-4, 6.03) of the White Sox. Kennedy has been struggling lately, allowing at least four runs in three of his last four starts. He has given up 11 runs over his last 10 innings. Kennedy has 97 strikeouts with 46 walks this season and a 1.23 WHIP. Shields has given up at least four runs in his last six starts. Shields has 50 strikeouts with 31 walks and a 1.60 WHIP.
The White Sox opened this weekend series with a 6-3 win on Friday for their fourth consecutive victory. The home team has won nine of the last 11 between these two. Chicago is now 45-68 overall and 25-29 at home while Kansas City is 57-58 overall and 25-31 on the road.
Friday’s game saw the Sox post four runs in the seventh inning to pull away. Chicago posted five runs on Danny Duffy, who took the loss to fall to 7-8. Reynaldo Lopez allowed just two runs in six innings, but didn’t factor into the decision for Chicago. Tim Anderson had two hits and two RBI to lead the White Sox while Yolmer Sanchez also drove in a pair of runs. Mike Moustakas had two home runs for Kansas City. He now has 34 home runs on the season.
Chicago has been on a great run, but I think it comes to an end tonight. Shields is not a pitcher that the Sox can count on. Kennedy hasn’t been great either, but he is more capable of a good start than his opponent. I also don’t think Chicago can continue to get timely hitting with his lineup. They just don’t have the bats to sustain it.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: KANSAS CITY ROYALS -145