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White Sox vs Royals Odds and Picks (May 17)

Robert Duff

by Robert Duff in MLB Baseball

Updated May 16, 2022 · 11:07 PM PDT

White Sox vs Royals
May 16, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Chicago White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal (24) looks to the dugout after hitting a home run against the Kansas City Royals during the fourth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
  • The Chicago White Sox are -172 favorites over the Kansas City Royals in an American League afternoon game slated for Tuesday, May 17
  • Kansas City won two of three at the ChiSox from April 26-28
  • All of the White Sox vs Royals betting odds, trends,predictions and best bets are below

As the Kansas City Royals (12-21, 6-10 home) were launching a five-game series against the Chicago White Sox (17-17, 8-7 road), they ousted the man in charge of making their offense. work. However, it did not alter Monday’s outcome.

The Royals were beaten 5-3. Prior to the game, the Royals were announcing the dismissal  of hitting coach Terry Bradshaw. KC ranks 27th in MLB in runs scored (118) and OPS (.625). They’re 28th in home runs (21) and 24th in batting average with runners in scoring position (.220).

The White Sox are treading water. They’ve been either .500, one game above or one game below for each of their past 10 games. Still, it’s the ChiSox that oddsmakers are going with in this opener of a twinight doubleheader.

In the MLB odds, the White Sox are set as -172 favorites. Both the Royals (15-17) and ChiSox (15-18) are among MLB’s worst squads in runline betting.

White Sox vs Royals Odds

Team Moneyline Runline Total
Chicago White Sox -172 -1.5 (-104) Over 8 (-102)
Kansas City Royals +144 +1.5 (-115) Under 8 (-120)

Odds as of May 17th at FanDuel Sportsbook.

 

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First pitch for Tuesday’s game at Kauffman Stadium is set for 2:10 pm ET. The forecast is mostly cloudy with a chance of afternoon thunderstorms. Wind is 9 mph and the temperature will be 73 degrees.

With a favorite’s moneyline of -172, the White Sox are being given an implied probability of victory of 63.24%.

Even with their slow start to the season, the White Sox are still sitting as -134 odds-on favorites to win the AL Central Division title in the MLB Division odds. The Royals are +3500 longshots to top the group.

Cease and Desist

Since opening the season with consecutive wins, White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease has posted one victory over his past five trips to the hill. Chicago is 3-2 in those games.

One of those five games was a 7-3 home win by the White Sox over the Royals on April 27. Cease allowed three hits and two earned runs while striking out nine over six innings. He didn’t figure in the decision. Cease has fanned 39 batters in his last 22 innings pitched while walking just eight.

Cease’s 1.99 xERA is among the top 5% of MLB pitchers. He’s also in the top 5% in xwOBA (.241), in the top 4% of strikeout percentage (36.9) and among the top 3% in xBA (.170). He leads the American League in strikeouts (58) and strikeouts per nine innings (13.7).

Cease is 3-2 with a 2.96 ERA in 10 career starts against the Royals. His WHIP is 1.17 and he’s averaging 10 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. At Kauffman Stadium, Cease is 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA in five starts. He’s given up 27 hits and struck out 27 in 28 innings of work.

Cease vs Heasley

Dylan Cease
VS
Jonathan Heasley
3-1 Record 0-1
3.55 ERA 2.71
1.99 xERA 2.46
1.10 WHIP 2.20
3.87 SO/W Ratio 0.25

Recalled May 12 from Triple-A Omaha, right-hander Jonathan Heasley will make his second start and second appearance of the season. He’s 1-3 as a big-league hurler in four career starts. He went 3.1 innings, allowing four hits and one earned run but still took the loss in a 3-1 setback at Texas.

Worrisome for Heasley are his control issues. He walked four against one strikeout in his season debut. However, in three starts last season, he fanned six while issuing only three free passes.

Heasley has never faced the White Sox. He’s 1-1 in two career starts at Kauffman Stadium with a 7.71 ERA.

Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers

Royals Batters Batting Average vs Cease White Sox Batters Batting Average vs ?????
Andrew Benintendi .385 Jose Abreu .000
Hunter Dozier .188 Tim Anderson ..000
Kyle Isbel .500 Adam Engel .000
Nick Lopez .250 Leury Garcia .000
MJ Melendez .000 Yasmani Grandal .000
Whit Merrifield .222 Josh Harrison .000
Ryan O’Hearn .125 Reese McGuire .000
Salvador Perez .222 Yoan Moncada .000
Emmanuel Rivera .000 AJ Pollock .000
Carlos Santana .111 Luis Robert .000
Michael A Taylor .083 Gavin Sheets .000
Bobby Witt .000 Andrew Vaughn .000

KC’s Andrew Benintendi is 5-for-13 (.285) with an RBI when facing Cease. Kyle Isbel is 1-for-2 (.500). Hunter Dozier, Whit Merrifield and Salvador Perez have all homered off of Cease. Merrifield and Perez each have 4 RBI.

No White Sox batter has ever faced Heasley.

White Sox vs Royals Prediction

The White Sox are viewed by many in baseball as a sleeping giant. A five-game series Monday-Thursday with the woeful Royals could prove to be just the elixir to awaken them from their slumber.

Yes, the Royals did win a slugfest series at Colorado over the Rockies on the weekend. But Kansas City is just 3-7-1 in series so far this season.

Pick: Chicago White Sox ML (-172)

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