White Sox (Keuchel) vs Athletics (Bassitt) Game 2 Picks and Odds – Sep. 30th

• The A’s seek to even the series against the White Sox in Game 2 of their Wild-Card series on Wed., Sep. 30th (3:10 pm ET)
• Oakland’s Chris Bassitt was stellar in a pair of starts against Chicago last season
• For the odds, matchup analysis, and best bets for the game, check out the article below

All of a sudden, the Oakland Athletics are playing for their lives in Game 2 of their Wild-Card series against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday, Sep. 30th at 3:10 pm ET. That’s how fast things go in a best-of-three series.

Chicago, back in the playoffs for the first time in a dozen years, are now one win away from their first series win since 2005 — when they went all the way to a World Series title.

Here’s how the Athletics vs. White Sox odds look ahead of Wednesday’s Game 2.

Athletics vs White Sox Odds

Odds as of Sept. 29 at FanDuel. 

White Sox Push A’s to Brink

Lucas Giolito and the White Sox sought history and settled for a giant Game 1 win on Tuesday, topping the A’s, 4-1.

Giolito took a perfect game into the seventh — vying to become just the second pitcher to complete that feat in MLB postseason history — and earned the win while allowing just two hits and one run versus eight strikeouts.

They call him José! pic.twitter.com/ghPgn6I4bE

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) September 29, 2020

On the other side, the White Sox got to Oakland starter Jesus Luzardo early, tagging his for three runs in 3.1 innings. The Athletics will need to wake up the bats in Game 2, as their lone run on three hits in the final three innings of Game 1 wasn’t nearly enough.

The bright side for Oakland is that four relievers followed Luzardo with shutdown stuff, allowing just three hits and a run in 5.2 innings.

Pitching Matchup

Unlike in Tuesday’s opener, when Giolito gave the White Sox a clear edge in the pitching matchup, Wednesday’s duel features a pair of comparably strong hurlers.

Chicago’s Dallas Keuchel (6-2, 1.99 ERA) is having a renaissance season on the south side, while Oakland’s Chris Bassitt (5-2, 2.29 ERA) is posting career-best numbers in several categories.

Dallas Keuchel is a bad, bad man. pic.twitter.com/Wao9CelTsB

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) August 22, 2020

Keuchel’s 2020 numbers are a bit better, but Bassitt has been stronger against his impending opponent. Bassitt shut out the White Sox in 13 innings across two starts last season, allowing only eight hits while striking out 13.

Chris Bassitt, back to back Beautiful slow Curveballs. 🌈

And a Sword. ⚔️

[Impressive subtle effort by Maldonado to get an HBP off the elbow guard on the second one. ] pic.twitter.com/hqvsdD6Jhn

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 17, 2019

Keuchel hasn’t faced Oakland since he pitched for divisional foe Houston back in 2018. During that year, he went 1-2 with a 5.06 ERA in four starts. Of course, the A’s lineup isn’t the exact same as it was then — but this is all we have to go off of.

Bassitt Can Lead Bounce-Back

Both teams are fully aware of what’s at stake here, and of the fact that Bassitt gives the A’s their best chance to win. After being slight underdogs on the moneyline in Game 1 — despite being at home, as the higher seed — Oakland is now the rightful favorite for game two.

Your Pitchers of the Month:

AL: Chris Bassitt, 0.34 ERA, 26.2 IP, 25 Ks, .232 BAA

NL: Trevor Bauer, 1.29 ERA, 35 IP, 46 Ks, .175 BAA pic.twitter.com/FyDTN2uD4I

— MLB (@MLB) September 28, 2020

Oakland averaged 7.2 hits per game at home in October, a much more typical number than the three hits they accrued on Tuesday. Look for the A’s to bounce back and give viewers a decisive third game to enjoy.

Pick: Oakland Athletics (-126)