The Blue Jays and White Sox meet again on Thursday, with Toronto looking to close out a series sweep.
Toronto won the last two games by 5-1 and 7-2 scores, and the Blue Jays won two out of three games in last week's home series against the White Sox.
The Blue Jays have been able to win both games of the series without much of a sweat. Toronto won the series opener by 4 runs and then last night’s game by 5 runs. Between the surging Blue Jays lineup and struggling White Sox pitching staff, this has been a much needed boost for Toronto.
If the Blue Jays win tonight, it will be a three-game sweep of the White Sox.
On the mound to try and close out the series is Alek Manoah, who has been inconsistent through four starts this season.
Manoah has had two starts that have ended with at least six runs allowed, but also two starts with no earned runs surrendered. We’ve seen flashes of his 2022 self, but it comes and goes.
Attempting to prevent the Blue Jays from sweeping is Chris Flexen, who has bounced between the starting rotation and bullpen. After a poor start to his White Sox career, Flexen was put into the bullpen to work on mechanics. He showed signs of improvement and was promoted back to the rotation, but he's been back to his old self recently.
Flexen has allowed 11 runs, 13 hits, and three home runs in his last 8.2 innings. Although it’s hard to predict the outing Manoah will have, it’s much easier to predict Flexen’s start. Take the Blue Jays to close out the series and sweep the Sox.
Both of these pitchers lack consistency and reliability which makes it hard to back them and take the Under. Plus, neither bullpen has been pitching well as of late which means pitching might be a weakness for both teams tonight.
The Blue Jays should be able to take advantage of Flexen and the weak Chicago bullpen since Toronto ranks either first or second in batting average, on-base percentage, OPS, and wRC+ in the last seven days.
After a sluggish April, the Blue Jays have finally hit their stride in May and have been on a tear at the plate. Expect that to continue tonight.
It’s no secret that the White Sox have been one of the worst teams in baseball this year. Between injuries and poor performances, the White Sox have struggled in many ways. However, Tommy Pham has been a huge boost to the lineup.
The veteran has been a glimpse of hope in the leadoff spot, and his batting presence has led to the White Sox increasing their run production. While I don’t think he’ll do enough to beat the Blue Jays, it should help contribute towards pushing this game Over the total.
Toronto Blue Jays | -175 ML |
Chicago White Sox | +145 ML |
Run Line | TOR Blue Jays -1.5 |
Total Runs | O/U 8.5 |
Bo Bichette | +475 |
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | +310 |
Davis Schneider | +310 |
Tommy Pham | +550 |
Gavin Sheets | +475 |
Andrew Vaughn | +600 |
Read the latest MLB news on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.