Toronto Blue Jays vs. Chicago White Sox: Great pitching matchup trending toward a NRFI
The Toronto Blue Jays are looking to rebound from last night's loss to the Chicago White Sox. Tonight, this series will give fans one of the best pitching matchups of the night.
White Sox starter Dylan Cease will go up against the Blue Jays' Kevin Gausman. Both men have been consistent this season and have been two of the most effective MLB pitchers over the last two or three years. There is one bet that has a value that jumps off the screen right away.
Below, you will find a brief preview of each team followed by a prediction for the game.
Toronto Blue Jays Preview:
"North Siders on the South Side" - Toronto Blue Jays
There's no doubt that the Toronto Blue Jays have plenty of talent throughout their lineup. However, they do much better against left-handed pitching. Led by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, and George Springer, this Blue Jays lineup ranks fourth in the MLB in team average. The team's offense has shown the ability to put up runs at will, but facing Dylan Cease is no easy task.
The Toronto Blue Jays will start Kevin Gausman, who has a solid 3.21 ERA on the season. Despite getting hit very hard in his last start, Gausman kept his ERA under 3.00 for about two months. If he can put those struggles behind him, he could have a nice bounceback performance tonight.
The key to victory for the Toronto Blue Jays is to find a way to get Cease out of the game early. He has had some struggles against good lineups, so getting into the injured bullpen could prove to be the difference.
Chicago White Sox Preview:
"Outstanding team win." - Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox have had a hard time duplicating the great season they put together last year. Sitting at 32-33 through the first part of the season, the White Sox still have time to turn the ship around. Tonight, they will give Dylan Cease the start. Cease has a 5-3 record so far, with an ERA of 2.91. He will be tasked with shutting down the Toronto lineup, something much easier said than done.
Offensively, Chicago has been improving all season long. However, like the Blue Jays, they have a harder time facing right-handed pitching. Led by Tim Anderson, Jose Abreu, and Luis Robert, the Sox hope to hang early runs on Gausman and get him out of the game. The obvious key to victory for the White Sox is to get a quality start from Dylan Cease and find a way to produce runs.
Pick/Prediction: No Run First Inning (NRFI) (-110)
Considering the pitching matchup, the value on this is too good to pass up. Each team's stars will be at the plate in the first inning. However, these two pitchers are more than capable of getting six outs without a run. Chicago averages 0.35 first-inning runs per game at home, and Toronto averages 0.47 first-inning runs per game on the road. That's a great trend for a NRFI!