There are some sports betting experts that have said from the beginning of the season that the Chicago White Sox will win the American League Central. Even the haters are on board now. Chicago completed a three-game sweep of the AL East-leading New York Yankees on Wednesday night to climb to 68 wins, still two better than the Detroit Tigers for first place in the division. Chris Sale struck out 10 more Yankees’ batters (13), than he allowed hits (3), to earn his 15th win of the season, and just the same as the team has done with their ace all year, the White Sox are sticking to the plan.
While Washington Nationals’ pitcher Stephen Strasburg’s hard innings cap has gotten a ton of attention this season, Sale is also being watched closely in Chicago after making his return from Tommy John Surgery this year. Sale increased his innings total to 153 in a game where the White Sox needed him to be dominant, mixing 101-MPH fastballs and 83-MPH changeups to fool one of the best offenses in the majors. Still, pitching coach Don Cooper feels fine with the work that the 23-year old has put in, and noted after his latest win that the 5Dimes club will continue to watch him closely and monitor his health.
Even though they still haven’t locked up the division or a Wild Card spot, the White Sox are already looking ahead to the postseason and as a team understand any chance they have at sustained success will depend on Sale’s arm. The team has already skipped his starts, pushed him back in the rotation, and added a sixth-man to the starting group, but right now Chicago has to find the right balance between winning now and later success.
The White Sox rank in the middle of the pack in team ERA, and with Jake Peavy and Gavin Floyd the next best options there is a certain level of cautious optimism in the air.
Chicago owns the third-best run differential in the AL behind only the Yankees and Texas Rangers, and the fifth-ranked scoring offense has certainly been a big part of that. Paul Konerko, Alex Rios, and AJ Pierzynski have all hit upwards of .295 this season, and Adam Dunn is suddenly playing at a high level again with 36 home runs, with the other three names listed above all over 20 on the online sportsbook season.
With six games against the Kansas City Royals, seven against the Cleveland Indians, and so on, it will be interesting to see how the White Sox handle their starts and whether or not they lean more on their offense. There has been a plan in place for both Sale and the team for the entire per head season, and so far the results have been as expected. Chicago has the potential to win the AL Central and lock up a home-playoff spot in the opening round, and right now it is about finding the perfect balance between winning now and earning that playoff success. For all of the betting odds for the White Sox and other MLB teams, make sure to check out the best sports betting sites.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.