Houston Astros vs. Chicago White Sox Game 3 Odds, Picks and Preview - 10/10/2021

by Chuck Sommers

Saturday, Oct 09, 2021
Game time: 8:07 p.m. ET, October 10, 2021
Venue: Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago, IL
Where to watch: FS1

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks


DraftKings: White Sox -115, Astros -105
BetMGM: White Sox -115, Astros -105
Caesars: NL

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Astros - White Sox preview and analysis


Game 3, American League Division Series -- Astros lead 2-0

It was a much better effort from the Chicago White Sox in Game 2. The Houston Astros are just better.

The Astros were propelled by a five-run seventh inning, capped off with a two-run home run from Kyle Tucker, to give Houston a 9-4 win in Game 2 of the ALDS at Minute Maid Park on Friday.

The series shifts to Chicago for Game 3 on Sunday, giving the Astros an opportunity to exorcise whatever demons are left from the 2005 World Series with a sweep at Guaranteed Rate Field.

“That's our team,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said, referring to that explosive seventh. “I mean, this is a big-inning team. Sometimes people wonder why we don't bunt or why we don't squeeze or whatever it is, which I believe in also, but you're keeping the other team in the game by keeping the other team close. We've got a big-inning team. It doesn't always work, but when it works, it works great.”

The Astros, as expected, got a better outing from the White Sox and Lance Lynn after Houston took Game 1 behind a dominant effort from ace Lance McCullers Jr.

Chicago took a 4-2 lead in fifth inning with a three-run frame highlighted by RBI singles from Luis Robert and Jose Abreu. Yasmani Grandal hit a sacrifice fly for the two-run lead. That lasted one whole half inning on a two-run single from Yuli Gurriel to tie it 4-4.

That ended White Sox star Lucas Giolito’s night (4.1 IP, 4 ER, 5 BB, 4 strikeouts) in a rather pedestrian effort. Fortunately for Chicago, they were able to get four runs across on seven hits against Astros ERA leader Framber Valdez.

Then Aaron Bummer took the seventh and, yeah, it was a bummer of an inning for the White Sox.

Yordan Alvarez broke the tie with an RBI single, followed by a two-run double from Carlos Correa and then the homer from Tucker of Craig Kimbrel to finish things off.

“It's a great feeling,” Correa said. “We've got to stay focused and take care of business when we go to Chicago. That’s a great team we're playing on the other side. They can get the job done any time. It doesn't matter if they're down two games. They will fight back. We've got to stay focused and try to get one more win.”

Chicago struggled at the plate in Game 1, but the bats came alive on Friday. Tim Anderson and Luis Robert had three hits each, while Abreu went 2-for-4 with that RBI. The White Sox had 11 hits, but none of them were extra-base hits.

“Our backs are against the wall right now,” Anderson said. “We know what we've got to do, and we've got to take care of business. We have to keep fighting and keep pushing.”

At time of publishing, the White Sox have not named a starter for Game 3. Luis Garcia will get the call for Houston on Sunday, with what we’d expect to be Zack Greinke waiting in the wings for Game 4.

Prediction


It’s been a horrendous start for Chicago, but it’s hard to expect a sweep in a must-win situation in front of the home crowd. The White Sox’s bullpen needs to be better, and we’d expect it to be at home to get on the board. White Sox win 6-5

Betting trends


The Astros are 76-27 (+35.6 net games on the money line) in games following four or more straight home games.

Houston is 44-14 the past three years in games following a day off.

The White Sox are 12-4 this season at home when the money line is between +125 to -125.

Projected lineup


Astros:
Jose Altuve (R) 2B
Michael Brantley (L) DH
Alex Bregman (R) 3B
Yordan Alvarez (L) LF
Yuli Gurriel (R) 1B
Carlos Correa (R) SS
Kyle Tucker (L) RF
Chas McCormick (R) CF
Martin Maldonado (R) C

White Sox:
Tim Anderson (R) SS
Luis Robert (R) CF
Jose Abreu (R) 1B
Yasmani Grandal (S) C
Eloy Jimenez (R) LF
Yoan Moncada (S) 3B
Andrew Vaughn (R) DH
Leury Garcia (S) 2B
Adam Engel (R) RF

Probable starting pitchers: Luis Garcia (HOU) vs. TBD (CWS)

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Chuck Sommers

About the Author:

Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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