White Sox vs Angels Picks and Odds – April 1st
- The Los Angeles Angels host the Chicago White Sox on Opening Day at 10:05 pm Eastern
- Dylan Bundy and Lucas Giolito are listed as the starting pitchers
- Read below for a preview and best bets for the game
Get ready for a superstar showdown to open the Major League Baseball season.
Reigning American League MVP Jose Abreu and the White Sox are in Los Angeles to face Mike Trout and the Angels.
White Sox vs Angels Odds
| Team | Run Line | Moneyline at DraftKings | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago White Sox | -1.5 (+155) | -112 | O 8.5 (-105) |
| Los Angeles Angels | +1.5 (-186) | -105 | U 8.5 (-117) |
Odds as of March 31st
The White Sox vs Angels odds have Chicago listed as very narrow favorites. They are expecting big things on the South Side this year and would love to kick off the season with a win. Here’s a break down of both teams to help find the best value bet on the board.
Giolito Coming Off Strong Season
Lucas Giolito gets the opening day start for the White Sox after an incredible 2020 season. The 26 year old ace finished seventh in Cy Young voting, compiling a 4-3 record with a 3.48 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. But the most impressive thing was probably his 97 strikeouts in 72.1 innings pitched.
Lights out. Lucas Giolito strikes out 9 in his 2021 Cactus League finale! pic.twitter.com/xJCN7z2aqU
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) March 27, 2021
The matchup against Los Angeles is one that Giolito should like. He’s 2-0 in three career starts against the Angels with 22 strikeouts in 19.0 innings pitched.
Angels Career Stats vs Giolito
| Player | AB | H | HR | RBI | K | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Fletcher | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .400 |
| Shohei Ohtani | 9 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | .444 |
| Mike Trout | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .250 |
| Anthony Rendon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Justin Upton | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .111 |
| Albert Pujols | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .333 |
| Dexter Fowler | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | .600 |
| Jose Iglesias | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .231 |
| Max Stassi | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .200 |
Giolito doesn’t have a long history against the big bats on the Angels, but he’s fared well. His high velocity repertoire should help him navigate any tough spots against the middle of the order.
Bundy Finally Reaching Potential
Dylan Bundy starts the opener for the Angels. He was picked 4th overall back in 2011 and finally seems to be reaching the potential many thought he had. After years toiling away in Baltimore, he moved to Los Angeles last year and had great success. He finished his first season with the Angels with a 3.29 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. Those were numbers he never sniffed in his tenure with the Orioles.
Dylan Bundy said he and his representation haven’t had any discussions so far on a possible extension. The Angels’ Opening Day starter is a free agent after this year.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) March 28, 2021
Bundy likely has the edge over the White Sox lineup. Most haven’t had many looks at his arsenal and that usually plays in favor of the pitcher.
White Sox Career Stats vs Bundy
| Player | AB | H | HR | RBI | K | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Anderson | 12 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 | .250 |
| Yasmani Grandal | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| Jose Abreu | 13 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .462 |
| Yoan Moncada | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
| Luis Robert | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Andrew Vaughn | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Adam Eaton | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .333 |
| Zack Collins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Nick Magridal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Abreu is the only White Sox batter with a history of success against Bundy. In fact, most of the lineup has little to no history against him at all. One other key factor is the injury to Eloy Jimenez. He’s out five to six months with a ruptured pectoral tendon. He was second on the team with 14 home runs and 41 RBI last year, so his absence will surely help Bundy.
Trust The Opening Day Starters
This game includes two of the game’s best hitters but beyond Abreu and Trout, the two lineups are pretty modest. The game plan will surely be to avoid the big boppers and challenge the other hitters. With that in mind, it’s the under that is the value play here. The total is set high enough you should be comfortable taking the under.
The Pick: Under 8.5 (-117)
This article contains links to external sports betting services. SBD may receive advertising revenue from these links, however editorial has hand-picked each individual link based on relevance to the article, without influence on the coverage.
Ryan has been working at TSN for over eleven years, and is now a lead writer and content producer at That's Hockey. Over the years, he's launched and hosted TSN's first NCAAF podcast, The College Football Show, and been featured on the likes of TSN 1050, Sportscentre, and That's Hockey 2Nite.
