by Chuck Sommers
Sunday, Aug 15, 2021
Game time: 8:10 p.m. ET
Venue: Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago, IL
Where to watch: NBCSCA, NBCSCH, ESPN
Season-to-date
Athletics: 68-50 (2nd place, AL West)
White Sox: 68-50 (1st place, AL Central)
Recent form
Athletics: Lost two of three after winning five straight
White Sox: Lost four of five
Projected lineup
Athletics:
Mark Canha (R) LF
Starling Marte (R) CF
Matt Olson (L) 1B
Yan Gomes (R) DH
Sean Murphy (R) C
Matt Chapman (R) 3B
Stephen Piscotty (R) RF
Tony Kemp (L) 2B
Vimael Machin (L) SS
White Sox:
Tim Anderson (R) SS
Cesar Hernandez (S) 2B
Jose Abreu (R) 1B
Eloy Jimenez (R) LF
Andrew Vaughn (R) RF
Yoan Moncada (S) DH
Luis Robert (R) CF
Danny Mendick (R) 3B
Seby Zavala (R) C
Projected starting pitchers: Frankie Montas (OAK) vs. Dallas Keuchel (CWS)
Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Athletics -115, White Sox -105
PointsBet: Athletics -120, White Sox +100
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Athletics - White Sox preview
The Chicago White Sox will try to get back to their winning ways in the first game of a four-game series against the Oakland Athletics at Guaranteed Rate Field on Monday.
Chicago, the leaders of the American League Central, come into this series having lost four of its last five after winning the previous four. Despite the thrilling walk-off win Thursday in the Field of Dreams game against the New York Yankees, the White Sox dropped the remaining two games of the series in Chicago; 7-5 in 10 innings on Saturday, and 5-1 on Sunday.
The Cleveland Indians gained a game on Chicago in the AL Central standings, but the White Sox still lead by 10 games, so there’s no concern from that standpoint yet.
Losing two of three to the Yankees isn’t a glaring problem for the White Sox, at least compared to losing two to the Minnesota Twins last week. The offense was fine, especially from Jose Abreu’s two home runs this weekend. Eloy Jimenez also had five RBI the past two games to continue his strong return to the Chicago lineup.
The bullpen was the problem for Chicago this weekend. A two-run home run from Joey Gallo in the 10th was too much to overcome even with a bases loaded opportunity. Luke Voit’s two-run blast in the top of the ninth on Sunday thwarted another Chicago comeback attempt.
This is a matchup of two teams in need of getting back on the right track. The Athletics are coming into this set with the White Sox having lost two of three over the weekend to the last-place Texas Rangers. Oakland is three games back of the Houston Astros for first place in the American League West.
The A’s have dropped two of three after winning seven straight. Sean Manaea allowed seven earned runs in five innings during Oakland’s 7-4 loss on Sunday at Globe Life Field.
For as solid of a regular season as the A’s have had, they’ve left a few games on the table against the Rangers going 9-7 against them. Almost a complete flip of the script when the Rangers were in contention last decade, trying to figure out why they’d keep losing to the A’s.
Betting trends
The A’s have cleaned up well against AL Central teams, going 16-4 this season. The under is 11-9.
As a favorite, the A’s have been a solid MLB bet this season at 50-29 with the under holding a 43-36 edge.
The under has also favored the White Sox as of late when the total is set between 9 and 10-5, coming in at 9-4-1 in the last 14. Under has also cashed in five of the last seven meetings, while the A’s have won seven of the last 10 meetings in Chicago.
Prediction
The microscope is on the White Sox. Being at home after a tough, hard-fought way to end the Yankees series, how will they bounce back with another tough team coming to their stadium?
It also has been a while since we’ve seen Oakland play up to their competition. You’d probably have to go to last month to see if that was possible, but it’s that time of the year to see if the A’s can hang with a potential playoff opponent should it ever get to that.
The White Sox sending Keuchel to the mound is always a safe bet, but if he can keep the runs to a minimum and throw a classic gem he’s been capable of doing, it should be enough. This should be an exciting game and really should set the table for what is expected to be an entertaining series that will bring every casual fan to the forefront. Only to go back into hibernation for the offseason. White Sox win, under cashes.
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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.
