Minnesota Twins vs Chicago White Sox Odds, Picks, and Probable Pitchers (July 19)
- The Chicago White Sox are large home favorites over the Minnesota Twins on Monday in the first game of a doubleheader
- Rookie Griffin Jax (1-1, 8.66) will start for the Twins against AL ERA leader Lance Lynn (9-3, 1.99)
- A look at the odds and pitching matchups can be found below with a prediction
The two-time defending American League Central champion Minnesota Twins will face the team in position to unseat them when they visit the Chicago White Sox at 5:10 pm ET Monday in the opener of a traditional doubleheader at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The White Sox (56-36) lead the division by eight games over Cleveland after winning seven of their last eight games. Now a season-high 20 games over .500, the White Sox are heavy favorites in the opener of the twinbill in the MLB odds.
Twins vs White Sox Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Twins | +170 | +1.5 (-130) | Over 7 (-115) |
| Chicago White Sox | -200 | -1.5 (+110) | Under 7 (-105) |
Odds as of July 18th at DraftKings.
The early money has gone on the White Sox, who opened at -190.
Probable Pitchers
Griffin Jax will be recalled from Triple-A St. Paul to make his second major league start and seventh overall appearance.
Jax vs Lynn
| 1-1 | Record | 9-3 |
| 8.66 | ERA | 1.99 |
| 5.61 | xERA | 3.01 |
| 1.70 | WHIP | 1.04 |
| 1.75 | SO/W | 3.39 |
In his lone MLB start July 3rd, Jax took the loss against the Royals in Kansas City. He allowed six runs on eight hits in five innings with three walks and three strikeouts.
Griffin Jax on the mound for the #MNTwins in the 9th
First, what a great name!
Second: Congratulations on your MLB debut! pic.twitter.com/4BIi5Q6bJh— Marly Rivera (@MarlyRiveraESPN) June 9, 2021
Jax has gone 4-1 with a 3.09 ERA in six starts for St. Paul. His last outing came last Tuesday against Columbus. He got the win, surrendering one run and three hits in five innings with no strikeouts or walks.
Jax is 0-1 with 10.00 ERA in two MLB games on the road, including his start. He is 1-0 with a 7.82 ERA at night in four relief appearances.
Jax, who has never faced the White Sox, became the first player ever drafted from the Air Force Academy when the Twins chose him in the third round in 2016.
Lance Lynn leads the AL in ERA and will be making his first start since signing a two-year, $38-million contract extension Saturday. He would have been eligible for free agency in November.
Lance Lynn is currently the leader for K strut of the year. https://t.co/ExSfD8JMYR
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 17, 2021
The veteran has won his last two starts, giving up two runs in 12 innings. His last outing was also against the Twins on July 7 in Minnesota. He yielded one run in six innings while allowing four hits, striking out six and walking three.
Lynn has made three of his four career starts against the Twins this season. He is 2-0 lifetime against them with a 2.45 ERA.
He’s been tough at home in 2021, compiling a 6-2 record with a 1.53 ERA in 10 starts. In 10 turns at nights, he is 5-2 with a 2.22 ERA.
Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers
| Twins Batters | Batting Average vs Lynn |
|---|---|
| Miguel Sano | .600 |
| Trevor Larnach | .429 |
| Nelson Cruz | .125 |
| Andrelton Simmons | .280 |
| Jorge Polanco | .273 |
| Luis Arraez | .182 |
| Ben Rortvedt | .250 |
| Josh Donaldson | .167 |
| Alex Kiriloff | .000 |
| Max Kepler | .000 |
| Kyle Garlick | .000 |
| Nick Gordon | .000 |
| Willians Astudillo | .000 |
NOTE: No White Sox batters have faced Jax
First baseman Miguel Sano has lost playing time recently with the Twins but is likely to be in the lineup for this game. Though it is a small sample size, Sano is 3-for-5 with a double and two home runs off Lynn.
Miguel Sanó's three-run, game-winning homer carried a higher Win Probability Added than any #MNTwins hit since 2016.pic.twitter.com/MnbsC5t8fB
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) May 15, 2021
Conversely, center fielder Max Kepler is hitless in eight at-bats against Lynn with three strikeouts.
Twins third baseman Josh Donaldson is hitting .328 (19-for-58) in his last 18 games against fellow AL Central teams with four doubles, six homers, 12 RBIs and 12 runs scored.
The Twins could get catcher Mitch Garver back from the injured list. He has been out since June 2 while recovering from groin surgery.
White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson is on a 15-game hitting streak, matching his career high. He has also set a franchise record by having a hit and a run scored in 11 straight games.
Good things seem to happen when Anderson puts his bat on the ball.
Tim Anderson has a .396 batting average on balls in play…since the start of 2019.
He has gone 300-for-757 on balls in play, over a span of 248 games.
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) July 18, 2021
Twins vs White Sox Pick
The White Sox have turned the tables on the Twins this season by winning 10 of their 12 meetings. The teams split 10 games last season, but Minnesota went 37-20 against Chicago from 2017-19.
Look for the red-hot White Sox to continue their winning ways against the Twins in this pitching mismatch.
Pick: Chicago White Sox Moneyline (-200)
John Perrotto has been covering and writing about sports for various outlets for over 40 years. His work has appeared in the likes of USA TODAY, ESPN.com, SI.com, Forbes.com, The Associated Press, Baseball Digest, and more. John is based out of Beaver Falls, PA.
