Kansas City Royals at Chicago White Sox Betting Preview/Prop Picks
31 August 2022
Time: 8:10 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City 16.765; Chicago White Sox 13.529
Dunkel Line & Total: Kansas City by 3; 7
Vegas Line & Total: Chicago White Sox (-201); 8 ½
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (+168); Under
AL Central rivals continue their series in Chicago on Wednesday night when the White Sox host the Kansas City Royals. Kansas City won the series opener by a score of 9-7, and they have now won four of the last five games against Chicago.
The Royals are still just 53-77 on the year, but they are a team that has some hope in the future. Kansas City is 21-40 away from home in 2022, and that is one area that has to improve in the coming years.
Chicago enters play with a record of 63-66, and they have easily been the most disappointing team in baseball in 2022. The White Sox are in the middle of a five-game losing streak, and the last four have all been at home.
The Chicago White Sox are the moneyline betting favorites at -193 over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night.
Royals Need More Pitching
The Kansas City Royals come into Wednesday night with a team ERA of 4.74, and that is one area that needs to improve. Despite winning two straight games, the Royals have allowed seven runs in each of those matchups.
Kris Bubic will be on the mound on Wednesday night, and he is just 2-9 with a 5.62 ERA on the year. Bubic has been hit hard in his last three starts but did beat the White Sox earlier in August.
Rookie Nick Pratto had four hits in the series opener for the Royals, including two home runs. This Royals lineup is better than the overall numbers suggest, as there is plenty of young talent that is doing some damage.
White Sox Can’t Score Runs
The Chicago White Sox enter play on Wednesday night, hitting .259 as a team, and that should make them one of the better offenses in baseball. That just hasn’t been the case, though, as the White Sox have just 109 home runs and continue to struggle to score with consistency.
Jose Abreu leads the team in home runs, but he has belted just 14 of them in 2022. Injuries have hurt the White Sox this season, but there is no excuse for not being able to do more damage on offense.
Lance Lynn is set to make the start on Wednesday night, and he is just 3-5 with a 5.00 ERA on the year. Chicago does have some solid starting pitchers, but Lynn is one player that has to find a way to get things turned around.
Royals Roll Over White Sox
Everyone just continues to wait for the White Sox to snap out of this season-long funk and turn things around. At this point, it’s starting to look like it’s never going to happen, and the Royals are doing a good job of making sure it doesn’t.
This should be another high-scoring affair as neither team is sending an ace to the game, and the weather in Chicago will be warm. The White Sox just haven’t been able to get enough consistent play, and it will be the young stars from the Royals that take control in this one.
Bet the Kansas City Royals -3.5 as they blast the Chicago White Sox for a second straight night in this AL rivalry game.
Prop Picks
Chicago White Sox (-105) UNDER 4.5 Runs
Chicago is averaging 4.19 runs per 9 innings on offense, which ranks No. 21 in the league. That average decreases to 4.14 runs per 9 innings at home. Scores have gone UNDER in 11 of the White Sox’ last 17 home games against the Royals.
With Dunkel predicting a Royals win by the score of 5-2, take Chicago (-105) to finish UNDER their Vegas team total of 4.5 runs against Kansas City.
Lance Lynn (-135) UNDER 2.5 Earned Runs
Lynn has allowed 43 earned runs in 77.1 innings pitched this season for an ERA of 5.00. The Chicago right hander has lowered his ERA to 2.73 (9 earned runs in 29.2 IP) in the month of August.
With Dunkel predicting the final score staying UNDER the Vegas run total, take Lynn (-135) to finish UNDER 2.5 earned runs allowed versus the Royals.
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All Media on this page by Associated Press.
