Published May 25, 9:50pm ET by
Paul Lebowitz - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated May 25, 9:50pm ET
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Updated May 25, 9:50pm ET
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| Chicago White Sox | +104 |
| Minnesota Twins | -115 |
The Twins are 26-28, but that is quite impressive given how they cleared out most of their veterans over the past year and moved on from Derek Falvey, their former president of baseball operations. Before losing the opener of their series against the White Sox, they had won 4 straight, including a sweep of the Red Sox.
Joe Ryan takes the hill in the second game of the series. The righty has a 1.2 bWAR in 11 starts. He's posted a 3.02 ERA, allowing 41 hits and 19 earned runs in 56.2 innings, walking 14 and striking out 61. In his past three starts, he's tossed 18 innings and allowed 3 runs and 8 hits.
At the plate, Byron Buxton has 16 homers and a .901 OPS. Ryan Jeffers is at .949 with 7 homers. Minnesota recently sent down former 1st overall pick in the MLB draft, Royce Lewis. He was batting .163 at the time.
Against ChiSox starter Sean Burke, Josh Bell is 2 for 2 with a double. Buston is 2 for 3 with a double and a home run.
The White Sox have lost 100 or more games in each of the past three seasons, including 121 losses in 2024. While they have accrued some talent, few were expecting a significant improvement this season. However, they are one game above .500 and within striking distance of 1st place in the AL Central.
While they are unlikely to maintain that level of play for the duration, it is still a positive for the future.
Sean Burke takes the hill against the Twins. He's struggled in his past three starts, but his numbers for the season are respectable.
In those three starts, he's allowed 12 earned runs in 13.1 innings. Overall, he has a 4.08 ERA. In 53 innings, he's allowed 50 hits and 24 earned runs, walking 14 and striking out 46.
Munetaka Murakami has been a find with 18 homers and a .914 OPS. Coslon Montgomery has 13 homers and a .787 OPS. Miguel Vargas has an .858 OPS and 12 homers. Randal Grichuk has been hot since joining the White Sox with a 1.170 OPS and 4 homers in 26 plate appearances.
For the White Sox against Joe Ryan, Andrew Benintendi is 8 for 19 with 2 doubles, a triple, and a home run. Grichuk is 1 for 3 with a double. Vargas is 1 for 3 with a home run. Luisangel Acuña is 1 for 1 with a double.
The pitching matchup clearly favors the Twins since Ryan has been quite good of late and Burke has not. However, the ChiSox can really hit and they hit the ball out of the park. Although the Twins have been playing reasonably well lately, the ChiSox are hitting and their bats will overcome Ryan's strong pitching and give them the victory.
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Chicago White Sox +104
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