Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago White Sox 09/01/2021 MLB Odds, Preview, and Prediction

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago White Sox play Game 2 of their current set on Wednesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Pittsburgh is 48-84 on the season and they are in 5th place in the National League Central, 32.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers. The Pirates head to this game having lost four out of their last six games, including a 4-2 defeat to the White Sox in Game 1 of this series last Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, the White Sox are 77-56 on the season and they are in first place in the American League Central, 10 games ahead of the second-place Cleveland Indians. Chicago has won five out of its last seven games, including the last two and they are 7.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the best record in the AL.

This is the last of four meetings between these two teams this season. Pittsburgh won the first head-to-head game this year, 6-3 but Chicago was won the last two meetings.

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates are out of the playoffs and they will have plenty of work to do during the offseason. Pittsburgh is averaging only 3.6 runs per game and has scored a total of 470 runs this season, dead-last among MLB teams. But that isn’t just their problem as they are also allowing 5.05 runs per game, second-to-worst in the league this season.

All-star Bryan Reynolds has been one of Pittsburgh’s bright spots this season with 77 RBI and 22 home runs while posting a batting line of .299/.382/.516. Recently acquired slugger Michael Chavis is the only positional player on the injured list for the Pirates while their rotation is short without JT Brubaker (thumb contusion), Trevor Cahill (fractured foot), Chase De Jong (knee surgery), and Dillon Peters (strained lower back).

Mitch Keller will open on top of the mound in Game 2. Keller is 4-10 this season and has a 6.75 ERA and a WHIP of 1.81. In 72 innings pitched, he has allowed 92 hits with 10 home runs while also giving up 38 walks and striking out 92 hitters. In his last start, Keller allowed seven earned runs in five innings played.

What are the Moneyline Odds?

Pirates

+292

White Sox

-330

Odds from BetOnline as of 09/01/2021

Chicago White Sox

The White Sox are having a terrific season. Chicago is Top 5 in scoring with an average of 5 runs per game. Their pitching staff also has an ERA of 3.76 which is the 8th best in the league. Their WHIP of 1.20 is also ranked 6th while their .226 BAA is 5th overall this campaign.

Reigning MVP Jose Abreu is having another productive season with 102 RBI and 28 home runs while posting an OPS of 0.840. The White Sox’s lineup is relatively healthy although outfielders Adam Engel and Billy Hamilton are out. Cy Young frontrunner Lance Lynn also hit the IR on Tuesday with knee inflammation.

For this game, the White Sox are rolling with Carlos Rodon who has looked great this season. Rodon has posted a record of 10-5 with an ERA of 2.43 and a WHIP of 0.97. In a total of 114 innings pitched, Rodon has allowed only 80 hits with 31 walks and 163 strikeouts. In his last start, Rodon pitched five innings and allowed only two earned runs in a win against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Who Wins?

Pittsburgh is 7-17 in their last 24 games played overall. They are 10-23 in their last 33 games interleague games as betting underdogs, 7-16 in their last 23 games against an opponent with a winning record, 11-24 in their last 35 games against the American League Central, 11-28 in their last 39 interleague games, and 27-74 in their last 101 games played on the road.

Chicago is 6-1 in their last seven interleague games. The White Sox are 7-1 in their last eight games against an opposing starter with a WHIP greater than 1.30, 5-1 in their last six home games against a right-handed starter, 6-1 in their last seven games against the National League Central, 54-24 in their last 78 games as home favorites, and 60-28 in their last 88 home games.

Pittsburgh has been struggling as of late and I can’t find anything to support them winning this game. So Although this Moneyline doesn’t present much value, I’m picking the White Sox to win because they are the much better team than the Pirates and are also playing much better right now.

Prediction: Chicago White Sox

Other Bets to Make

The over is 5-1-1 in the last seven interleague games of Pittsburgh as the betting underdog. The total has gone over in five out of their last eight games against the American League Central. The over is also 7-3 in their last 10 interleague road games against a right-handed starter, and 5-2-1 in their last eight interleague games overall.

The over is 4-1-1 in the White Sox’s last six games as betting favorites. The over is 4-1 in their last five games against an opponent with a winning percentage below .400, 7-3 in their last 10 interleague home games, 13-6-2 in their last 21 games against a right-handed starter, and 5-1 in their last six September games.

Chicago will likely hold the Pirates scoring down because of Rodon but they should be able to score a lot of runs in this game because their lineup is too much for Keller, who has an ERA of over 6, to handle.

These are the kind of games that the White Sox love and they enjoy putting on a great offensive display. Although they scored just four runs in Game 1 of this series, Chicago has scored 10 or more runs in three out of their last four games played.

I like the White Sox to win big, by scoring big time.

Prediction: Over 8.5 runs

Place Your Bet Here

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