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Blue Jays vs White Sox Game 1 Prediction, Picks, Odds

Published

1 year ago

July 6, 2023

The Blue Jays beat the White Sox in the series opener on Tuesday, and our MLB betting picks are thinking that lightning will strike twice in the first leg of Thursday’s doubleheader. Read on for full game analysis, along with our best SGP.

Thanks to some rain, the Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago White Sox will now play a doubleheader today.

The Jays opened this series with a win thanks to some late-game heroics from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and continued their strong performances against non-American League East opponents.

Today, they’ll go for the series win when they hand the ball to Jose Berrios for Game 1 of the doubleheader. The right-hander has once again become a (much-needed) reliable arm in the Blue Jays rotation, but will he be able to cool off the white-hot Luis Robert Jr.?

The White Sox counter Berrios with a veteran right-hander of their own in Lance Lynn. But things have not gone smoothly for Lynn this season (like, at all), meaning Toronto is a slight road favorite in the MLB odds.

I break down this AL matchup and bring you my best bet, plus a juicy same-game parlay in our MLB picks and predictions for the first leg of Blue Jays vs. White Sox on July 6.

Blue Jays vs White Sox odds

Blue Jays vs White Sox predictions

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. belted his fourth home run in his last 10 games in the top of the eighth inning off Joe Kelly, and Jordan Romano came in to close out the 4-3 victory for Toronto in Tuesday night’s series opener. The win improved the Blue Jays‘ record to 39-20 against non-American League East opponents, and they’ll be favorites to improve on that record in today’s doubleheader vs. the White Sox.

A big reason for that is because the Pale Hose are handing the ball to Lance Lynn in Game 1. The veteran right-hander is having a rough go of things in the first half of the season. Lynn is pitching to a 4.77 expected ERA while surrendering a .254 expected batting average and a .456 expected slugging percentage to opponents this season, the latter of which ranks in the 21st percentile. It’s been even worse lately.

Lynn’s ERA balloons to 7.71 while giving up a .939 OPS over his last six starts, and tonight’s matchup against the Blue Jays isn’t exactly an easy one. Despite Toronto’s struggles to consistently cash in base runners, their numbers against right-handers overall are solid. The Jays rank fifth in batting average, eighth in OPS, and fifth in wRC+ vs righties this season.

Countering Lynn is Jose Berrios. The right-hander hasn’t been outstanding, but at the very least he’s a reliable arm in the Jays rotation. Berrios has a 3.02 ERA and is limiting opponents to a .231 batting average over his last 14 starts, recording nine quality starts over that span.

He got hurt by the long ball in his last start against the Boston Red Sox, but as long as he doesn’t mess around with Luis Robert Jr., who is hitting nukes on the regular, he’ll have a chance to be effective.

That’s because the White Sox have not had much success vs. right-handed pitchers. As a team, Chicago ranks 22nd in batting average, 28th in OPS, and 25th in wRC+ when facing righties this season.

In the end, this handicap is very similar to Tuesday’s opener. Toronto has a slight edge in starters and bullpen, and a clear edge when it comes to the consistency of the respective lineups. The Blue Jays have value on the moneyline at this price once again.

My best bet: Blue Jays moneyline (-128 at SIA)

Blue Jays vs White Sox same-game parlay

Blue Jays ML

Berrios Over 4.5 strikeouts

Lynn Over 2.5 earned runs

Lynn Under 18.5 outs

Lynn Over 6.5 strikeouts

Apologies, but I went a little crazy with today’s same-game parlay where pitching, good and bad, will be tonight’s theme. It of course starts with the Blue Jays and Jose Berrios on the moneyline.

We’ll stick with Berrios in the next leg by adding Over 4.5 strikeouts. Berrios has had some value in the strikeout market recently with an improved K-rate of 24.4% over his last eight starts and the amount of length he gives per start. The White Sox also have the 11th-highest strikeout rate when facing righties.

Now, let’s get spicy by adding a hat trick of plays for Lynn. First, the Over 2.5 earned runs seems like a no-brainer, considering how the Jays handle righties and the fact he has allowed three or more earned runs in 13 of his last 16 starts.

The other number that sticks out to me is his outs recorded prop, sitting at 18.5. Lynn has gone Over that in just four of 17 starts this season. And, as noted, the Jays aren’t a good matchup for him.

But we can throw Lynn a bone in the final leg. The one thing he still does well is strike out batters. His 26.9% K-rate is in the 73rd percentile. So, let’s add Over 6.5 strikeouts. He’s gone Over that number in eight of his last 15 starts, including the last three in a row. This 5-legger has a crazy +1,800 return.

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Blue Jays vs White Sox moneyline and Over/Under analysis

After Wednesday’s matchup got rained out Game 1 of the doubleheader reopened in the -125 range which is where it was sitting when it came off the board last night. The White Sox could see a little action once again but I don’t expect the line to move too much and as noted above, I like the Blue Jays in this up to -130.

Aside from the argument in my best bet, I also like Toronto’s edge when it comes to the bullpens. Blue Jays relievers rank sixth in xFIP and fifth in strikeouts per nine innings, while the White Sox rank 17th and 12th, respectively, in those categories and are once again without Liam Hendricks.

When it comes to the total, that is back on the board at an even 9, and that’s where it sits as of Thursday morning. That number feels about right, so keep an eye on it. At 8.5 I’d have a slight lean to the Over, but at 9.5 I’d look at the Under.

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The Blue Jays are 12-4 in their last 16 games vs. American League Central opponents. Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. White Sox

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Blue Jays vs White Sox game info

Location:	Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago, IL
Date:	Thursday, July 6, 2023
First pitch:	5:10 p.m. ET
TV:	Sportsnet, NBCS-Chicago

Starting pitchers

Jose Berrios (8-6, 3.74 ERA): Berrios has put up a lot of good innings for the Jays this season. The right-hander has pitched into the sixth in 13 of his last 14 starts and is limiting opponents to a .213 batting average over that stretch.

Lance Lynn (5-8, 6.47 ERA): The one thing that has been consistent about Lynn this season is the runs. It’s consistently been a lot of them. The right-hander has surrendered three or more runs in 13 of his 17 starts.

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Edmonton Oilers sign defenceman Travis Dermott to professional tryout

Published

5 hours ago

September 13, 2024

Anne Joseph

EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers signed defenceman Travis Dermott to a professional tryout on Friday.

Dermott, a 27-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., produced two goals, five assists and 26 penalty minutes in 50 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season.

The six-foot, 202-pound blueliner has also played for the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Toronto drafted him in the second round, 34th overall, of the 2015 NHL draft.

Over seven NHL seasons, Dermott has 16 goals and 46 assists in 329 games while averaging 16:03 in ice time.

Before the NHL, Dermott played two seasons with Oilers captain Connor McDavid for the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters. The team was coached by current Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

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Former world No. 1 Sharapova wins fan vote for International Tennis Hall of Fame

Published

7 hours ago

September 13, 2024

Anne Joseph

NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion, led the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan vote her first year on the ballot — an important part to possible selection to the hall’s next class.

The organization released the voting results on Friday. American doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan finished second with Canada’s Daniel Nestor third.

The Hall of Fame said tens of thousands of fans from 120 countries cast ballots. Fan voting is one of two steps in the hall’s selection process. The second is an official group of journalists, historians, and Hall of Famers from the sport who vote on the ballot for the hall’s class of 2025.

“I am incredibly grateful to the fans all around the world who supported me during the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan votes,” Sharapova said in a statement. “It is a tremendous honor to be considered for the Hall of Fame, and having the fans’ support makes it all the more special.”

Sharapova became the first Russian woman to reach No. 1 in the world. She won Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008. She also won the French Open twice, in 2012 and 2014.

Sharapova was also part of Russia’s championship Fed Cup team in 2008 and won a silver medal at the London Olympics in 2012.

To make the hall, candidates must receive 75% or higher on combined results of the official voting group and additional percentage from the fan vote. Sharapova will have an additional three percentage points from winning the fan vote.

The Bryans, who won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, will have two additional percentage points and Nestor, who won eight Grand Slam doubles titles, will get one extra percentage point.

The hall’s next class will be announced late next month.

___

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Driver charged with killing NHL’s Johnny Gaudreau and his brother had .087 blood-alcohol level

Published

8 hours ago

September 13, 2024

Anne Joseph

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road had a blood-alcohol level of .087, above the .08 legal limit in New Jersey, a prosecutor said Friday.

Gaudreau, 31, and brother Matthew, 29, were killed in Carneys Point, New Jersey, on Aug. 29, the evening before they were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding.

The driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins of nearby Woodstown, New Jersey, is charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. At a virtual court hearing Friday, a judge ordered that he be held for trial after prosecutors described a history of alleged road rage and aggressive driving.

“’You were probably driving like a nut like I always tell you you do. And you don’t listen to me, instead you just yell at me,’” his wife told Higgins when he called her from jail after his arrest, according to First Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Flynn of Salem County.

The defense described Higgins as a married father and law-abiding citizen before the crash.

“He’s an empathetic individual and he’s a loving father of two daughters,” said defense lawyer Matthew Portella. “He’s a good person and he made a horrible decision that night.”

Higgins told police he had five or six beers that day and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint. He also failed a field sobriety test, the complaint said. A prosecutor on Friday said he had been drinking at home after finishing a work call at about 3 p.m., and having an upsetting conversation with his mother about a family matter.

He then had a two-hour phone call with a friend while he drove around in his Jeep with an open container, Flynn said. He had been driving aggressively behind a sedan going just above the 50 mph speed limit, sometimes tailgating, the female driver told police.

When she and the vehicle ahead of her slowed down and veered left to go around the cyclists, Higgins sped up and veered right, striking the Gaudreas, the two other drivers told police.

“He indicated he didn’t even see them,” said Superior Court Judge Michael J. Silvanio, who said Higgins’ admitted “impatience” caused two deaths.

Higgins faces up to 20 years, a sentence that the judge said made him a flight risk.

Higgins has a master’s degree, works in finance for an addiction treatment company, and served in combat in Iraq, his lawyers said. However, his wife said he had been drinking regularly since working from home, Flynn said.

Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million deal in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across North America.

Widows Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau described their husbands as attached at the hip throughout their lives. Both women are expecting, and both gave moving eulogies at the double funeral on Monday.

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