St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago White Sox Betting Preview/Player Prop
24 May 2021
St. Louis comes into this series with a record of 26-20, but they have gone just 11-10 on the road. The Cardinals sit atop the National League Central Division, but the lead has shrunk to just two games.
Chicago now leads the AL Central Division by 1.5 games over the Cleveland Indians. The White Sox did just suffer a three-game sweep at the hand of the Yankees, but they are returning home for this matchup.
The Chicago White Sox are the betting favorites at -173 over the St. Louis Cardinals in the series opener.
Cardinals Need Some Offense
The St. Louis Cardinals scored just six runs in their three-game series against the Cubs, and the lack of offense is hurting this team. St. Louis is below league average in most offensive categories, and they are also dealing with a number of injuries.
Nolan Arenado leads the team with 10 home runs and 32 runs batted in, but he struggled against the Cubs this weekend. In addition, Dylan Carlson and Paul DeJong are both out of the lineup with injuries, and that has an effect.
Kwang Hyun Kim is on the mound Monday night, and he will need to set the tone. Hyun Kim has gone 1-1 with a 2.73 ERA to begin the year, but he is facing an explosive offense.
White Sox Getting Some Pitching
The Chicago White Sox have a great lineup, even though they are missing some talent due to injury. Chicago has a team on-base percentage of .341, and they are also slugging over .400 as a team.
Jose Abreu won the MVP Award a season ago, and he leads the team with nine home runs and 35 RBIs to begin the year. DH Yermin Mercedes is hitting .345 on the season, and he has put up some impressive performances on offense.
Lance Lynn is on the mound for Chicago on Monday night, and he will be facing his former team. Lynn has gone 4-1 with a 1.55 earned run average to begin the year, and he will be looking to get some revenge on St. Louis for letting him go.
Sox Defeat St. Louis
Both teams come into the series on a bit of a slump, but the Cardinals and White Sox are both contenders to win the World Series. Chicago has the edge of playing at home, and they also have more talent.
The St. Louis Cardinals are going to have to find some more offense at some point, and that won’t happen in this series. Chicago struggled to score over the weekend in New York, but the bats will be back in this matchup.
Chicago has the edge on the mound to begin the game, and Lynn will pitch his team to a victory in the series opener. Bet the Chicago White Sox -173 over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night.
Player Prop
Jose Abreu (+110) Over 0.5 RBI
The White Sox are pinning a lot of their postseason hopes on their slugging first baseman. Since knocking in 107 during his first season in Chicago in 2014, Abreu has remained the team’s top run producer and has topped 100 RBI five times with a high of 123 in 2019.
He has started off the 2021 season in similar fashion and comes into tonight’s contest ranked 8th in the AL in RBI with 35. He picked up two more yesterday with a two-run HR in the 6th inning against the Yankees.
After missing a three-game set against the Twins because of ankle inflammation, it was a good sign that the 34-year-old veteran is ready to continue a hot month of May that has seen him hit .327 with 4 HRs and 16 RBI. We’ll stick with the hot bat tonight and take Abreu (+110) to go over 0.5 RBI.
Keep up with your latest MLB news coverage and betting pick previews with The Dunkel Index.
