3 Prop Bets for White Sox vs. Astros Game 1
By Peter Dewey
The Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox will face off at 4:07 p.m. EST on Thursday in the first game of the ALDS.
Lance Lynn will take the mound for the visiting White Sox while Lance McCullers Jr. gets the ball for Houston. The Astros are -135 favorites on the moneyline at WynnBET in Game 1 with the total set at 7.5 runs.
There’s very few things quite like the atmosphere of playoff baseball, and with players laying it all on the line, I’m going to get bold with some bets for this afternoon’s matchup.
Here are my three best prop bets for White Sox-Astros Game 1:
Houston Astros Team Total OVER 4.0 Runs (-115)
Houston averages the most runs per game in MLB at 5.33, and the Astros dominated Lynn earlier this season.
Lynn has been one of the game’s best starters this season (11-6, 2.69 ERA), but he allowed six runs and eight hits in just four innings in his lone start against Houston this season. Lynn only had two other games where he allowed over four earned runs this year, and both came over his final five starts of the year. I think he’s trending in the wrong direction heading into this game, and I love the Astros offense to make a statement at home.
Lance McCullers OVER 5.5 Strikeouts (-125)
McCullers has struck out seven or more batters in three of his last five starts, and he tallied 14 strikeouts over 13 innings against the White Sox this season.
The opposite of Lynn, McCullers has allowed three earned runs or less in his last six starts, and he had a 10-strikeout performance against Chicago on July 16.
He’s increased his strikeouts per nine since the All-Star break, and I think he takes advantage of a Chicago team that strikes out 8.57 times per game.
Astros First Three Innings Run Line -0.5 (+135)
I think Houston jumps out to an early lead in this one, and rather than taking it at -135 on the first three innings moneyline, I’m going to grab this value on the run line at -0.5.
Since I’m already fading Lynn, there’s no reason not to back the Astros early and often in this game. The Astros have averaged 0.62 runs per game in the first inning this season (which is 10th-best in MLB) so they could jump all over Lynn and the Sox from the onset of this one.
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