Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA
Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago White Sox: Can the Pirates sweep the series?
The Pittsburgh Pirates have a chance to sweep the series when they visit the Chicago White Sox today at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The Pirates can reach .500 record today
The Pittsburgh Pirates are third in the NL Central with a 47-48 record including 25-24 on the road. They have won 5 of the last 6 games including winning both games in the series against the White Sox. The Pirates have a 3.87 ERA, a .243 batting average, a .312 on-base percentage, and 1.27 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Bryan Reynolds leads the team with 108 hits and 17 home runs while Andrew McCutchen is on top with 47 runs.
The Brewers are struggling lately
The Chicago White Sox are at the bottom of the AL Central with the worst record in the league of 27 wins and 70 losses and are 10-37 on the road. They have lost 6 of the last 7 games and have a total of three wins in the month of July. The White Sox have a 4.53 ERA, a .241 batting average, a .322 on-base percentage, and 1.36 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Andrew Vaughn leads the team with 80 hits, while Paul de Jong is on top with 36 runs and 16 home runs.
Betting Trends
The White Sox are 1-6 SU in their last 7 games overall, 1-5 SU in their last 6 home games, and 1-5 SU in their last 6 games against teams from the NL. Chicago has played under the total run line in 4 of their last 5 games overall and 9 of their last 13 home games against the Pirates. Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in their last 6 games overall, 4-1 SU in their last 5 games against the White Sox, 4-1 SU in their last 5 games on the road, and 4-1 SU in their last 5 games against teams from the AL Central. The Pirates have played under the total run line in 6 of their last 8 games against teams from the AL.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Pittsburgh Pirates are one of the hottest teams in the MLB at the moment and have a chance to keep their winning streak alive as they close the series against the White Sox. The Pirates won 6-2 and 4-1 in the previous two games and have won four of the last five games against the White Sox. Pittsburgh will start with Mitch Keller, who is 10-5 for the season with a 3.40 ERA, 102 K, 111.1 IP, and 1.22 WHIP. The White Sox will try to avoid being swept by Jared Shuster on the mound, who is 1-2 for the season with a 3.52 ERA, 25 K, 38.1 IP, and 1.41 WHIP. The Pirates are major favorites given the odds, so we go with the White Sox covering the +2.5-run spread.
