Sports Betting Overview
If there was a team in MLB that would benefit from a boost after the All-Star break, it is the Chicago White Sox. MLB baseball betting fans know that the White Sox are only five games out of the AL Central lead, and the team in the lead is the Detroit Tigers. By their own admission, the White Sox have not played the best baseball this season. Manager Ozzie Guillen summed it up best when he said that the White Sox sucked. But that is not completely true. This White Sox team may not be generating the MLB baseball news headlines that the 2005 World Series team did, but this is still a pretty good baseball team. The White Sox are completely capable of making a run for the pennant in the second half of the season.
MLB fans could see it coming in the AL Central. The Cleveland Indians looked like they were going to run away with one of the weakest divisions in all of baseball. But all the Tigers had to do was stay above .500 and eventually they would catch Cleveland. Now that Detroit has taken over first place in the AL Central, they can probably play .500 baseball on into September and win the pennant. Unless, of course, the White Sox start getting hot.
Chicago White Sox
In the 10 games leading up to the All-Star break, the Chicago White Sox were 4-6. They were playing poor defense, couldn’t really pitch and had problems hitting the ball. But you should never count an Ozzie Guillen team out of it. Considering how weak the rest of the AL Central is, the White Sox are in a pretty good spot. Taking the mound for Chicago in this game is Gavin Floyd. On the season, Floyd is 6-9 with a 4.59 ERA. He is 2-6 in his last 10 starts, and a prime candidate to be the kind of pitcher that turns it around in the second half. Why? Because he has done it before.
Detroit Tigers
All-Star no-show Justin Verlander will take the mound in this game to play in front of the fans he snubbed when he did not play in the mid-summer classic. Fans tend to forgive a pitcher who is 12-4 with a 2.15 ERA at the All-Star break. In his last 10 starts, Verlander has only given up a total of 12 runs. In that stretch he has amassed a total of 76 strike outs and only 10 walks. He is also averaging nearly eight innings a game. Verlander is a machine that is ready to help the Tigers maintain their lead in the AL Central.
The Bottom Line
It is doubtful that the White Sox can beat Verlander, but Chicago can still win this series. In this game, Chicago and pitcher Gavin Floyd are overmatched. But look for Chicago to put on a solid performance as they gear up for a second-half pennant run.
Pick: Detroit Tigers
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