Published Jul 6, 7:52pm ET by
Paul Lebowitz - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated Jul 6, 7:52pm ET
Shutterstock
Updated Jul 6, 7:52pm ET
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| Chicago White Sox | +113 |
| Boston Red Sox | -125 |
The Red Sox have won 9 of 12 to climb to within 4 games of a Wild Card spot. Whether they keep this up or revert to the inept team they were before that hot streak is a question.
But why question it?
They just swept the woeful Angels three straight.
In the first game of their series in Chicago against the White Sox, lefty Payton Tolle takes the ball.
Tolle took a beating in his previous start against the Nationals, tossing 3 innings and allowing 6 earned runs, 7 hits, and 2 homers. For the season, he's been solid with a 0.8 bWAR and a 3.39 ERA. Over 74.1 innings, he's allowed 60 hits, 28 earned runs, and 8 homers, walking 23 and striking out 74.
It's a positive that he gives up so few homers.
Willson Contreras is having an All-Star season with a .921 OPS and 20 homers. Caleb Durbin's average is up to .223 after a horrific start and has 8 homers. Jarren Duran has again fallen below .200. He does have 13 homers.
No Red Sox have ever faced White Sox starter Noah Schultz in the majors.
The White Sox won 2 of 3 over the Guardians this past weekend to take over 1st place in the AL Central. There is still lingering doubt as to whether they are for real. But given the rampant mediocrity in the American League, why not them?
In the opener of their series hosting the Red Sox, their top pitching prospect Noah Schultz gets the start. The 6'10" lefty has been up and down as a rookie. For taller pitchers like Schultz, it sometimes takes time to harness their stuff and find consistency with their mechanics. The ChiSox are being cautious with him.
He has a -0.2 bWAR and a 5.86 ERA over 9 starts. In 43 innings, he's allowed 32 hits and 28 earned runs. The walks are problematic with 26 in those 43 innings. He's allowed 5 homers and struck out 40.
Colson Montgomery has been hot at the plate and now has 23 homers and an .801 OPS. Munetaka Murakami has 20 homers, but is on the injured list with a hamstring strain. Miguel Vargas has 20 homers. SAn Antonacci has a .284 average and a 1.6 bWAR. Tristan Peters is batting .295 with an .809 OPS.
The only White Sox hitter who has faced Payton Tolle in the majors is Randal Grichuk. He's 0 for 2 with a strikeout.
This game cannot be easily gauged based on the pitching matchup because neither pitcher has faced the other team and vice versa. Schultz is learning how to pitch in the majors, which is hard to do. Tolle is also a young pitcher, but has been better than Schultz.
Boston's hitting is still struggling apart from a few components of their lineup. The ChiSox hit a lot of home runs.
For this matchup, the White Sox will continue their solid play and take the opener of the series behind Schultz.
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Chicago White Sox +113
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