White Sox vs Tigers Picks & Odds – Aug 12
By Robert Duff in MLB Baseball
Updated: March 9, 2021 at 2:43 pm ESTPublished:
- The Chicago White Sox are -115 favorites to defeat the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday afternoon
- Should you roll with the surprising Tigers, or go with the chalk and play the ChiSox?
- Analysis of this matchup, best bets on the odds and picks for the outcome are put under examination in the following story
When there was preseason talk of a potential sleeper team in the American League’s Central Division, the Detroit Tigers weren’t the team in that discussion. About the only factor discussed where the Tigers were concerned was whether they in fact still had a pulse.
No, the Chicago White Sox were billed as destiny’s darlings prior to the launch of the 60-game MLB schedule. Instead, it’s the Tigers who are the talk of baseball.
As these two teams complete a three-game series Wednesday afternoon at Comerica Park, the Tigers currently hold down an AL wildcard position. The White Sox, meanwhile, are treading water.
Detroit will send southpaw Matthew Boyd to the mound for this game but are listed as +100 underdogs in the White Sox-Tigers odds.
Chicago White Sox vs Detroit Tigers August 12 Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total Odds at DraftKings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago White Sox | -115 | -1.5 (+133) | O 9.0 (-106) |
| Detroit Tigers | +100 | +1.5 (-159) | U 9.0 (-115) |
Odds as of Aug. 11.
The ChiSox, the -115 favorites, counter with right-hander Dylan Cease.
Tigers Displaying Versatility
Detroit was baseball’s worst team a year ago, posting a horrendous 47-114 record.
This year, there’s honest debate about whether the Tigers are the most fun team to watch in all of MLB. With a 9-5 record entering Tuesday night’s game against the White Sox, Detroit was situated as a postseason club, even if the analytic nerds aren’t buying it.
Baseball-Reference.com is listing Detroit with an AL-worst 7.3% chance of reaching the postseason.
JaCoby Jones: Speed Racer pic.twitter.com/LROTfL4vCf
— Chris Brown (@ChrisBrown0914) August 11, 2020
Sweeping a three-game weekend set from the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Tigers posted a football-like 17-13 verdict in the opener. They followed up with an 11-5 triumph. Then to close it out, Detroit gutted out a tight 2-1 victory.
They beat the White Sox 5-1 in Monday’s series opener for a fourth straight win. This decision was highlighted with an inside-the-park home run hit by outfielder JaCoby Jones.
Cease And Desist
Cease (2-1) appears to be improving with every start this season. Clearly, though, there’s still some refining in order.
Dylan Cease, Body Bag Slider. ☠️🪦⚰️ pic.twitter.com/DIzN5Bm1XP
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 8, 2020
He tossed five scoreless innings in his last start to get the win against Cleveland. Cease ended up allowing two hits and issuing five walks while striking out four.
Tigers Career Stats vs Cease
| Player | AB | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miguel Cabrera | 2 | 0 | 1 | .500 |
| Jeimer Candelario | 5 | 1 | 1 | .400 |
| Harold Castro | 9 | 0 | 2 | .400 |
| Willi Castro | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Travis Demeritte | 3 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Niko Goodrum | 3 | 0 | 1 | .333 |
| Grayson Greiner | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| JaCoby Jones | 6 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Dawel Lugo | 3 | 0 | 0 | .333 |
| Victor Reyes | 5 | 0 | 0 | .400 |
| Austin Romine | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Jonathan Schoop | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Christin Stewart | 6 | 0 | 0 | .167 |
There are still command issues to be ironed out. Cease walked the leadoff batter in four of five innings.
Still, he was able to lower his ERA to 4.05 with a 1.50 WHIP and nine strikeouts through 13.1 innings in 2020. It was also the first start this season in which he wasn’t tagged for a home run.
Boyd Isn’t the Word
At the 2019 MLB trade deadline, there was serious interest from a number of contenders in acquiring Tigers lefty Boyd. In retrospect, it’s probably a move Detroit should’ve made.
In April and May of 2019, Matthew Boyd had a 2.85 ERA and 1.02 WHIP across 12 starts. Since then, those numbers have ballooned to 6.08 and 1.43 in 23 starts.
Even with a 10+ K/9, it's not worth rostering him right now as he'll kill your ratios. Move on. #FantasyBaseball
— Eric Cross (@EricCross04) August 8, 2020
Boyd ended up going 3-9 over his last 12 decisions of the 2019 campaign. He surrendered an MLB-worst 39 homers.
White Sox Career Stats vs Boyd
| Player | AB | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jose Abreu | 31 | 2 | 4 | .419 |
| Tim Anderson | 36 | 0 | 2 | .278 |
| Zack Collins | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Edwin Encarnacion | 26 | 2 | 5 | .231 |
| Adam Engel | 11 | 0 | 0 | .364 |
| Ryan Goins | 3 | 0 | 0 | .333 |
| Yasmani Grandal | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Eloy Jimenez | 8 | 2 | 4 | .375 |
| Nomar Mazara | 8 | 0 | 1 | .125 |
| James McCann | 6 | 0 | 0 | .333 |
| Danny Mendick | 6 | 0 | 0 | .167 |
| Yoan Moncada | 16 | 0 | 0 | .188 |
| Luis Robert | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
He continues to struggle to find a groove this season. Boyd has a 9.20 ERA in 14.2 innings. He’s given up 23 hits, averaging 14.2 hits per nine innings. That total includes three home runs. Boyd’s walked five while striking out 13.
His WHIP is 1.90, well above his career average of 1.33. Opponents are batting .417 off him on balls put into play, though, so he should see some positive regression in that regard.
White Sox It to Them
If Boyd’s struggles to keep teams from tattooing his slider continue, it figures to be a long afternoon for the Tigers. Detroit can’t be counted on to continue to outhit his mistakes.
I have bad news…it turns out the problem with the Detroit Tigers has been the fans. Nice job, losers.
— Eric Wayne (@EricWaynesBrain) August 11, 2020
The Tigers are first in the AL in runs scored per game (5.2). They’re also third in the league in runs allowed per game (4.9). An over play might be in order here.
Picks: Chicago White Sox (-115), Over 9 (-106)
Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
