Something’s gotta give Thursday night in Chicago. The White Sox are heating up, and the New York Yankees aren’t cooling down.
Both teams were pegged among the top American League contenders in the preseason. While the Yankees have certainly lived up to the billing, the White Sox have been a little slow out of the gate, though they have won seven of eight (and it would be eight of eight if not for an epic collapse Tuesday night).
With the edge on the mound, Chicago is favored in Thursday’s opener of a weekend series on the South Side.
Props.com breaks down Yankees vs White Sox odds in what is MLB’s top matchup on a limited evening slate of games.
Odds via WynnBet and updated as of 5 p.m. ET on May 12.
New York Yankees (22-8) vs Chicago White Sox (15-14)
First pitch/TV: 8:10 p.m. ET/MLB Network & MLB.TV
Moneyline: White Sox -145/Yankees +135
Run Line: White Sox -1.5 (+130)/Yankees +1.5 (-160)
Total: 8 (Over -105/Under -115)
Pitching matchup: RHP Luis Gil (season debut) vs RHP Dylan Cease (3-1, 2.38 ERA, 1.00 WHIP)
Season series: First meeting.
Did you know: The Yankees are 81-53 against the White Sox since 2001, including 5-1 last season.
About the Yankees
Hits & Misses: The Yankees have gone 4-2 since their 11-game winning streak ended, including sweeping a two-game home series from AL East rival Toronto on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Yankees now lead the division by four over Tampa Bay and six over Toronto. New York has the best run differential in the AL at +52 and the second-best in the majors behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (+78). The Yankees have clubbed 40 home runs this season, second-most behind the Los Angeles Angels (45). OF Aaron Judge leads the majors with 10, 1B Anthony Rizzo has nine, and DH Giancarlo Stanton has added seven. The Yankees have baseball’s best bullpen ERA (2.38) and are the fourth-most profitable team, trailing the Diamondbacks, Mets and Angels. The Bronx Bombers are 18-12 to the Under this season.
Gil vs White Sox: The right-hander will make his first MLB appearance of the year after starting the season in Triple A. He made six starts as a rookie last season, finishing 1-1 with a 3.07 ERA in 29.1 innings, with 38 strikeouts to 19 walks. Gil did not face the White Sox.
Key injuries: Backup C Ben Rortvedt (oblique) has not played this season but is set to begin a rehab assignment at Single-A Tampa.
About the White Sox
Hits & Misses: Chicago has won seven of eight to get back over .500 for the season. The White Sox have moved into second in the AL Central, 2.5 games behind Minnesota and a half-game ahead of Cleveland. Chicago’s game against Cleveland on Wednesday was postponed for COVID-related reasons, but all the positive tests belonged to the Guardians’ side. SS Tim Anderson is fourth in the majors with a .347 batting average. Like the Yankees, the White Sox have also trended toward the Under this season, at 16-11-2.
Cease vs Yankees: The right-hander is off to a solid start, allowing nine runs on 21 hits in 34 innings, with 47 strikeouts and 13 walks. Cease has surrendered more than two runs in a start only once, and the White Sox are 5-1 when he takes the mound. The 26-year-old from Georgia has given up only one home run all season. In his last outing Saturday, Cease allowed one run on four hits in five innings with eight strikeouts and three walks in Chicago’s 3-1, 10-inning victory over Boston. He went 0-1 in two starts against New York last season, allowing eight runs in 9.1 innings. The Yankees won both games.
Key injuries: 2B/OF Leury Garcia (left ankle) is questionable Thursday after being scratched from the lineup before Wednesday’s postponement. OF Andrew Vaughn (right hand bruise) is headed to Triple-A Charlotte for a rehab assignment after being on the injured list since May 5.
Notable Trends
- NYY are 15-2 in their past 17 overall
- NYY are 5-0 in their past five as a road underdog
- CWS are 4-0 in Cease’s last four starts at home
- NYY are 7-1 in their last eight vs. CWS
- NYY are 7-3 in their last 10 at Chicago
- Over is 5-1 in the last six series meetings in Chicago
- Under is 8-2-1 in the past 11 for CWS
Yankees vs White Sox Odds and Action
UPDATE 5 P.M. ET: The White Sox opened as -130 favorites at WynnBet and have steadily risen to -145, with 66% of bets on the Yankees but 68% of money on Chicago. The total opened at 7.5 and is up to 8 (Under -115), with 76% of money on the Over but 55% of money on the Under.