Published Jul 11, 10:15pm ET by
Paul Lebowitz - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated Jul 11, 10:15pm ET
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Updated Jul 14, 11:06am ET
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| Chicago White Sox | -112 |
| Athletics | +102 |
After a good start to the season in which the Athletics looked like a surprising contender, the wheels have largely come off and they are 13 games below .500 and fading. Still, they are not that far out of the top spot in the mediocre AL West.
Against the White Sox in the final game of the first half, they send righty J.T. Ginn to the hill trying to stave off a sweep.
Ginn has been reliable this year with a 3.2 bWAR and a 3.10 ERA. He's made 17 starts and 3 relief appearances. While it's a low bar, he's tied for the MLB lead in complete games with 1. Complete games are no longer a thing in baseball.
In 98.2 innings, he's allowed 77 hits, 34 earned runs, and 11 homers, walking 43 and striking out 86. The walks are worrisome, but he manages to get out of the trouble he creates.
At the plate, Nick Kurtz has a .902 OPS and 20 homers. American League All-Star catcher Shea Langeliers has 20 homers and an .802 OPS. Brent Rooker continues to struggle with a .200 average and 10 homers. Lawrence Butler is batting .199.
Only Langeliers, Tyler Soderstrom, and Jacob Wilson have faced White Sox starter Noah Schultz. They are 0 for 6.
Noah Schultz is struggling as a rookie, but the White Sox are sticking with him in their rotation. It makes sense given his draft status as a former #1 pick (26th overall) of the ChiSox in 2022. As a 6'10" lefty, it will take time for him to harness his stuff.
In his last start against the Red Sox, he allowed 7 hits and 4 earned runs in 5 innings, taking the loss. Overall, he has a -0.2 bWAR and a 6.00 ERA. In 48 innings, he's surrendered 39 hits, 32 earned runs, and 7 homers, walking 29 and striking out 43.
Chicago has won the first two games of the series and they have just activated slugging 1st baseman Munetaka Murakami. He has 20 homers and a .921 OPS. Colson Montgomery has 23 homers and a .774 OPS. He's productive despite a .220 batting average. Miguel Vargas has 21 homers and an .844 OPS. Andrew Benintendi has 10 homers and a .730 OPS.
Only Benintendi and Tristan Peters have faced Ginn. Benintendi is 1 for 2 with a single. Peters is 0 for 1.
As the White Sox try to enter the All-Star break of their surprisingly solid season, they try to complete the sweep of the reeling Athletics. Schultz, while talented, is not trustworthy at this point in his career. Ginn has been generally solid, albeit with command issues.
For this matchup, the A's will salvage the final game of the series, get to Schultz, and take the win behind Ginn.
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Pick
Chicago White Sox -112
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