The Chicago White Sox and Texas Rangers are playing the second game of a four-game set at Globe Life Park.
The Rangers edged out a tight victory yesterday with a rookie on the mound, and the White Sox are now 2 1/2 games away from the Wild Card slot.
"Major League debut in the books!" - Rangers
Pitching in this one are Dylan Cease for the White Sox and Glenn Otto for the Rangers.
Now in his fourth season in the majors, Cease is starting to carve out one heck of a career. He looked strong in his first few seasons, but has been untouchable this season. After allowing four total runs in his last 10 starts, Cease has dropped his ERA to 2.01, and is now the third favorite for American League Cy Young (+480).
Otto is rounding out his first full season in the big leagues, and it certainly hasn't gone as well as he hoped. After 15 starts, he has an ERA of 5.50. Despite that disgusting statistic, he's shown promise, and Rangers fans should be optimistic about Otto's potential.
Chicago White Sox vs Texas Rangers Match Details
Fixture: Chicago White Sox @ Texas Rangers
Date & Time: Wednesday, August 5, 8:05 p.m. EDT
Venue: Globe Life Park, Arlington, TX
"...Rangers at @globelifefield" - ben_o_photo
Chicago White Sox vs. Texas Rangers Betting Odds
Chicago White Sox vs. Texas Rangers Best Picks
Cease is the type of pitcher that will create outs by any means possible. In some games, he'll rely on his slider to ring up strikeouts, and other times he'll rely on the seven guys behind him to earn their pay. Given his unpredictability, his strikeout bet is rarely a smart play, but considering how good the Rangers are at striking out, the over is a great play.
Dylan Cease Over 7.5 strikeouts (-160)
While mediocre overall, Glenn Otto has been unhittable in the first inning. Otto has made five straight starts without giving up a run in the first. Cease won't give up a run in any inning, making the NRFI a strong bet.
No Runs in the First Inning (-130)
Chicago White Sox vs. Texas Rangers Prediction
It may seem unimaginative and expected, but Chicago is the smart play here. With Cease on the mound, the bettors have no reason to look at anything else. Cease is the kind of guy smart bettors ride with until he gives them a reason not to, and these odds are too good to pass up.
White Sox -1.5 (-106)