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White Sox vs. Yankees Game 1 Prediction and Odds for Saturday, May 21 (Pitching Mismatch in the Bronx)

By Matt De Saro

Texas Rangers v New York Yankees
Texas Rangers v New York Yankees / Dustin Satloff/GettyImages
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This afternoon, the New York Yankees host the Chicago White Sox in Game 1 of a four-game weekend series. This is the second time this season that the streaking Yankees take on the inconsistent White Sox after taking three of four games from the last week. Despite dropping yet another game to the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday, the Bronx Bombers enter this game on a 9-2 tear and lead the AL East with a 28-10 record. 

The White Sox, on the other hand, haven’t quite put all the pieces together and sit at 19-19 after 38 games. Things were looking up before the Yankees came to town last week and took three of four-game from Chicago. That series sent them back into a tailspin and the White Sox proceeded to lose two of four from the lowly Kansas City Royals. 

Here are the odds for this game, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook. 

White Sox vs. Yankees Odds, Run Line, and Total

Run Line

  • White Sox: +1.5 (+100)
  • Yankees: -1.5 (-120)

Moneyline:

  • White Sox: +200
  • Yankees: -230

Total:

  • Total 9 (Over -120/Under +100)

White Sox vs. Yankees Prediction and Pick

One fascinating part of following and wagering on baseball is watching the slow downfall of legendary pitchers. Dalla Keuchel falls well in that category. At 34-years-old, the 2015 Cy Young Award winner looks nothing like his former self. He’s barely hanging on to a spot in the rotation with a 5.54 ERA and 1.96 WHIP in just 26 innings. He flashed a bit of that former brilliance last Saturday against the Yankees with five scoreless innings. But he walked as many as he struck out and did not factor into the decision. I don’t think this is a sign to trust him here despite bringing his ERA from 8.40 to 5.54 so far in May. I trust that he’s not pitching as horrible as he was in April. But he still has a long way to go to regain my trust. 

Meanwhile, lefty Nestor Cortes looks to stay hot for the Yankees in his second straight start against the White Sox. He went eight innings last Sunday against Chicago, allowing one earned run and striking out seven. He didn’t issue a walk. Cortes was left with a fantastic 1.35 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in 40 innings pitched. 

There is no need to complicate this game more than it has to be. It’s a classic pitching mismatch featuring two teams heading in opposite directions. The Yankees went 3-1 ATS in their last series against the White Sox and I think they got to Keuchel early and earned another spread victory. 

Pick: Yankees -1.5 (-120)

Follow all of Matt De Saro’s betting picks HERE