Oakland Athletics at Chicago White Sox Betting Preview/Player Prop

Two of the top teams in baseball are meeting up in Chicago this week as the White Sox are hosting the Oakland Athletics for an important series. Chicago came away with a 5-2 win in the series opener, and Oakland will try to get some revenge by picking up a win on Tuesday night.

The Athletics come into this game with an overall record of 68-51, and they have gone 34-26 on the road so far in 2021. Oakland continues to trail the Houston Astros in the AL West Division race, but they are holding on to a Wild Card spot at this time.

Chicago has built up a massive lead in the AL Central race, but the White Sox are hoping to have the best record in the league when the playoffs start. The White Sox are now 69-50 on the season and are a remarkable 40-22 at Guaranteed Rate Field.

The Oakland Athletics are -119 on the moneyline for this matchup.

Athletics Need Bassitt to Deliver

Oakland will have a huge advantage in this game as they will be sending their top starting pitcher to the mound. The Athletics have been giving up some runs of late, but Chris Bassitt can be the shut down pitcher that they need.

Bassitt has gone 12-3 with a 3.06 ERA so far this season, but he is going to be taking on a red-hot White Sox lineup. The Athletics need their starter to set the tone and allow their own offense to have a chance in this one.

Matt Olson continues to put up massive offensive numbers for the Athletics, but he needs some help. Olson leads the team with 30 home runs, 79 RBIs, and a batting average of .281 this season.

White Sox Scoring Some Runs

The Chicago White Sox have an offense that can put up runs in a hurry, and that offense is starting to get some additional players healthy as well. Chicago is hitting .2521 as a team, but they have a slugging percentage that is nearing .420.

Jose Abreu and Tim Anderson are the two best hitters in this lineup, but they are also getting plenty of help. Abreu leads the team with 24 home runs and 86 RBIs, and Tim Anderson now has his batting average up over .300.

Reynaldo Lopez makes the start on Tuesday night, and he is 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA this season. The White Sox have a terrific bullpen, and that unit can shut down any team when given the lead.

White Sox Stay Hot

Even though the Athletics have their top pitcher on the mound for this game, they are still facing a team that is simply playing red-hot. Oakland just doesn’t have the offense to keep up with the White Sox, and that is going to be an issue.

Chicago can put up runs in a hurry, and they will break out the big bats on Tuesday night to take control of this game. The Athletics will keep this game close, but they just won’t have enough offense to pick up a win.

Bet the Chicago White Sox moneyline over the Oakland Athletics in this big game on Tuesday night.

Player Prop

Starling Marte (-290) Over 0.5 Hits

The A’s acquired Marte from the Marlins at the trade deadline in an effort to boost their offense for the stretch run. And the 32-year-old veteran outfielder has not disappointed.

Marte is hitting a cool .400 (24-for-60) so far in August for Oakland with a 4-hit game, two 3-hit games and five 2-hit games to his credit. His average, which was .306 in Miami at the time of the trade, has jumped up to .319.

That includes last night’s 0-for-4 performance against the White Sox, which stands out as only his second hitless effort in an A’s uniform. Coming back tonight against Chicago right-hander Reynaldo Lopez should help turn things around as Marte is hitting .326 (70-for-215) against righties compared to .303 against lefties.

We’ll take Marte (-290) to get back in the hit column tonight versus the White Sox.

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