Two of the American League’s playoff teams from last season are two of the biggest disappointments in baseball so far this season.
The Boston Red Sox lost to Houston in the ALCS last fall, but they find themselves in the AL East cellar early in 2022. Meanwhile, the Chicago White Sox have a losing record this season (third place in the AL Central) despite running away with the division in 2021. Something’s gotta give in this Friday matchup, as one shade of “sox” is guaranteed to help their early-season woes.
With a sizable pitching edge, the Red Sox are heavily favored to earn a victory over Chicago at home. Props.com breaks down White Sox vs Red Sox odds for Friday.
Odds via DraftKings and updated as of 6 p.m. ET on May 6.
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Chicago White Sox (11-13) vs Boston Red Sox (10-16)
First pitch/TV: 7:10 p.m. ET/Apple TV+
Moneyline: Red Sox -165/White Sox +145
Run Line: Red Sox -1.5 (+115)/White Sox +1.5 (-135)
Total: 8.5 (Over +100/Under -120)
Pitching matchup: RHP Vince Velasquez (1-2, 4.58 ERA, 1.47 WHIP) vs RHP Nathan Eovaldi (1-0, 2.51 ERA, 0.94 WHIP)
Season series: First meeting
Did you know: The White Sox have not won a playoff series since sweeping Houston in the 2005 World Series.
About the White Sox
Hits & Misses: Chicago is still favored to win the AL Central, but the White Sox are no longer the sure thing they seemed like in the preseason. Minnesota leads the division at 15-11, 2.5 games ahead of Cleveland and three in front of Chicago. The White Sox are 3-9 against division opponents this season including 0-6 against the Twins and Guardians. Chicago may have gained a foothold in the last week by winning four of five, including a two-game sweep of the crosstown rival Cubs. Shortstop Tim Anderson has been the top bat in the lineup, hitting .313 with four home runs.
Velasquez vs Red Sox: The right-hander is coming off his best outing of the season after a rocky induction. Velasquez threw 5.2 scoreless innings – his longest outing of the season – in a 4-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday. He did not make it out of the fifth inning in his three other starts. Velasquez is pitching in the AL for the first time since his rookie season of 2015 after spending the past six seasons with Philadelphia and San Diego. In his only start against the Red Sox last season, he was shelled for eight runs in 2.1 innings.
Key injuries: 3B Jake Burger (left knee soreness) is questionable Friday after sitting out Wednesday’s game. LF Andrew Vaughn (bruised right hand) is out after being placed on the 10-day injured list. 3B Yoan Moncada (right oblique strain) and RP Joe Kelly (right biceps) could return Monday.
About the Red Sox
Hits & Misses: Boston is quickly ceding ground in a highly competitive AL East. The Red Sox have lost 11 of 15 to slide into a tie for last place in the division with lowly Baltimore, 8.5 games behind the New York Yankees, six behind Tampa Bay, and 5.5 behind Toronto. After a 3-7 road trip, the Red Sox came home and lost two of three to the Angels, including getting mowed down by Shohei Ohtani in an 8-0 loss Thursday. Second baseman Trevor Story has been a flop after leaving Colorado to sign a six-year, $140 million deal with Boston in the offseason, hitting .210 with no home runs for Beantown.
Eovaldi vs White Sox: The right-hander is off to a strong start this season – as long as he can keep the ball in the park. Eovaldi has given up only eight runs this season, but all of them have come via home runs (seven total). After giving up three runs in five innings in a season-opening loss to the New York Yankees, Eovaldi has steadily lowered his ERA to 2.51. He also boasts 32 strikeouts to just three walks. In his last outing, he pitched seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts, but the Red Sox lost 2-1 to Baltimore in 10 innings. In his only home start this season, Eovaldi allowed one run on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings in the Red Sox’s 2-1 win over Toronto. Boston is 10-1 in his last 11 starts as a home favorite.
Key injuries: CF Enrique Hernandez (illness) is questionable Friday after sitting out Thursday. RP Josh Taylor (back) suffered a setback this week at his rehab assignment and has been temporarily shut down.
Notable Trends
- Boston is 4-11 in its last 15
- Boston is 10-1 in Eovaldi’s last 11 starts as a home favorite
- Chicago is 4-1 in its last five
- Under is 15-8-3 for BOS this season
- Chicago is 4-1-1 to the Under in its last six
- Under is 9-4 in the teams’ last 13 meetings in Boston
White Sox vs Red Sox Odds and Action
UPDATE 6 P.M. ET FRIDAY: The Red Sox hit -170 at DraftKings on Friday morning but are down to -165, with 68% of bets and 69% of money on Boston. The total has also shaded slightly from 8.5 (Under -115) to 8.5 (Under -120), with 65% of bets and 56% of money on the Under.
UPDATE 12:40 P.M. ET FRIDAY: DraftKings opened with the Red Sox -164 moneyline favorites on Thursday night. That line swelled to -170 through Friday morning. DraftKings is reporting 60% of tickets and 71% of dollars supporting the Red Sox moneyline … The total opened at 8.5 (Over -115/Under -105) on DraftKings before shifting to 8.5 (Over +100/Under -115) on Friday morning. DraftKings reports that 73% of betting tickets and 72% of the money have been placed on the Under.
