Mark Lammey
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These teams may not get the attention of Dodgers or Yankees, but this is a crucial series for the AL Central. Along with the Guardians, there’s a 3-team race to win the division. The AL East is clogging up the wild-card situation, so getting to the postseason via a pennant is the ideal situation. If the White Sox are unable to take this weekend series, it’s going to take some help for them to get to the top of the division. They’re already behind in terms of the season series between these teams, so let’s use that recent history to determine the best ways to play Saturday’s matchup. Along with this same game parlay, be sure to check out our MLB picks for all of today’s games.
1st-half result – White Sox (+105)
Andrew Vaughn to record a hit (-210)
Luis Arraez to record a hit (-230)
Parlay odds: +320
Let’s take a closer look at each leg of our same game parlay.
1st-half result – White Sox (+105)
To clarify, this is a prop that means the White Sox will be leading after 5 innings. It’s just slightly different than the 1st 5 inning money line, as it does not provide the push condition.
Although there is no push condition, there should be confidence in the Sox having an early lead behind ace Dylan Cease. After the Twins were able to have theirs in Sonny Gray last night, it’s Chicago’s turn. This should be quite the opposite situation than Minnesota taking advantage of the Sox using a platoon of openers last night. With Astros ace Justin Verlander recently going on the injured list, Cease has a great opportunity to add to his AL Cy Young resume. He’s been absolutely dominant all season. He went 14 straight starts allowing either 0 or 1 earned run. While that ended recently against those Astros, he bounced back strong.
His most recent start was once again dominant. He allowed just 2 hits in 8.0 innings of work, while striking out 8 batters. His 190 are the 2nd-most in the AL. Opposite him will be Twins starter Tyler Mahle. Not only is Cease superior, this will be Mahle’s first start since spending time on the injured list. He’s had just 3 starts since coming over from the Reds. His first start with his new team included allowing 4 runs to the Blue Jays. Although he hasn’t faced the Sox this season, Cease does have a start against the Twins. That was a convincing 11-0 win, in which they also had a 4-0 lead after 5 innings. There’s simply no reason to doubt Cease with his consistency this season.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for the Minnesota Twins vs Chicago White Sox
Andrew Vaughn to record a hit (-210)
While we focused on Cease for much of the side prediction, it may seem as though we should transition into the Sox most well-known hitter, Jose Abreu. However, we’re going to get great value by targeting Andrew Vaughn. Chicago has needed him to step up with guys like Tim Anderson and Luis Robert out of the lineup, and he’s delivered. Specifically, he’s delivered against the Twins this season.
His .356 batting average against them is nearly identical to Abreu and above Eloy Jimenez. Better yet, he has a ridiculous .711 slugging percentage when facing the Twins. That’s helped him accumulate 193 total bases on the year, the 2nd-most on the team. While it’s behind Abreu in that regard, he’s got his in 22 fewer games. Based on average per game, he’s actually ahead of Abreu and some of the other tops in the league. Even his overall .461 slugging percentage on the season is higher, so trust Vaughn to come through tonight.
Also check out our YRFI/NRFI best bets for today – we went 2-0 yesterday!
Luis Arraez to record a hit (-230)
Targeting a hitting prop from the opposing team of our side prediction helps boost our odds while not contradicting the play. Luis Arraez getting a hit does not automatically provide the Twins with a win. However, he has been one of the best at putting the ball in play this season. The lefty has 142 on the season, the 4th-most in the American League. Minnesota has loved having him bat leadoff ahead of Carlos Correa this season. They’ve also enjoyed his success against the White Sox. He’s hitting .396 against them this year, which includes 19 of those hits in just 11 meetings. While Cease doesn’t exactly boost this prop, Arraez does have 4 hits against him. Even still, Chicago’s bullpen has struggled this season and will likely be where this hit is recorded. Regardless of when it happens, trust the first baseman to deliver.
Don’t miss our MLB mega parlay for tonight’s action (+901 odds!)
What is a Same Game Parlay?
Check out our guide on what is a same game parlay and where can I bet it?
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