MLB: AL CENTRAL ON THE LINE
Chicago White Sox vs. Minnesota Twins MLB Betting Preview
The Chicago White Sox didn’t seem like a team that could thrive in the clutch after being swept by the Minnesota Twins last week.
Their last two games, however, tell a different story. After prevailing in consecutive must-win games, the White Sox (88-74, +6.6 units) face the Twins (88-74, +10 units) in a one-game tiebreaker for the AL Central title Tuesday night at U.S. Cellular Field.
Sportsbook.com has established Chicago as a -147 money line favorite, with the Total at 9. TBS picks up the action starting at 7:35 pm ET.
Chicago was swept in a three-game series at Minnesota, falling one-half game behind the Twins in the AL Central and starting a string of five straight losses entering its final two scheduled games.
But the White Sox beat Cleveland 5-1 on Sunday and won a rainout makeup with Detroit 8-2 on Monday to force one last game with the Twins. The winner of this contest will advance to face AL East champion Tampa Bay in a best-of-five series beginning Thursday.
Chicago hit only .216 and scored just 11 runs in last week’s series at Minnesota, where Chicago went 1-8 this season. But the White Sox have won seven of nine games against the Twins at U.S. Cellular Field.
Chicago won a coin flip held earlier this month to decide which team would host the tiebreaker, catching a break due to its struggles at Minnesota. The Twins have also struggled on the road, going 35-46 (-8.6 units) overall. Minnesota is also 11-31 in road games vs. AL teams allowing 4.7 or less runs a game in the second half of the season over the last two years.
John Danks (11-9, 3.47 ERA), starting on three days’ rest, is one of the few members of the White Sox who’ve had a tough time at home against Minnesota. He is 1-2 with a 7.45 ERA in four starts versus the Twins at Chicago, and 2-3 with a 6.88 ERA in seven starts overall.
And it doesn’t help that Danks is coming off his worst start of the season, allowing seven runs and seven hits in four innings as Chicago lost 11-8 to Cleveland on Friday night and he and the Pale Hose are 6-13 in home night games the last two seasons. The 23-year-old left-hander did go 1-0 with a 0.98 ERA in his previous three starts.
Minnesota will send Nick Blackburn to the mound tonight. Blackburn (11-10, 4.14 ERA) is 0-2 with a 7.20 ERA in three career road starts versus the White Sox, and 2-2 with a 5.28 ERA in five starts and one relief appearance against them overall.
Blackburn, though, earned a win against the White Sox in his last outing, giving up two runs and eight hits in five innings as Minnesota won 3-2 on Wednesday night. Despite the stakes at hand for this pressure-filled game, Blackburn isn’t going to change his approach. “I’m going to go out there with my game plan in my mind, and hopefully I can execute everything I can,” he said.
Besides the off day edge, Minnesota is 19-11 after allowing one run or less this season. Chicago can counter that with its hot bats, posting a 17-4 record in home games after scoring eight runs or more this season.
The weather is expected to be cooler, however trends suggest runs should be scored. The White Sox are 14-4 Over in home games versus a starting pitcher like Blackburn who strikes out three or less batters. The Twins right-hander and his teammates are 7-0 Over in road games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
This will be the fourth one-game tiebreaker that has been played in the AL. The last such contest was in 1995, when Seattle beat the California Angels 9-1 for the AL West title. Last season, Colorado beat San Diego 9-8 in 13 innings in an NL Wild-Card tiebreaker.
Chicago is trying to return to the postseason for the first time since winning the World Series in 2005. Minnesota, meanwhile, has a chance to make the playoffs after a one-year absence.
