There are a couple of early games on the slate for Major League Baseball on Saturday. The Detroit Tigers face the Chicago White Sox, and the St. Louis Cardinals host the Philadelphia Phillies. This betting guide will give some of the best value plays for these two contests based on the recent trends going on between these squads.
Detroit Tigers (+145) vs Chicago White Sox (-175)
Garrett Hill’s first career start for Detroit was a good one, as he allowed just one run across six innings in a 4-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians on July 4. That victory kicked off a five-game winning streak for the Tigers, who gave up more than three runs just once in that stretch. Johnny Cueto gets the start for the White Sox, and he’s been pretty good this season with a 3.30 ERA and 1.22 WHIP (walks+hits per inning pitched). However, Chicago has lost Cueto’s last four starts at home, making this a decent spot to take the Tigers (+145).
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The under has gone 3-0-1 in Cueto’s last four home starts and is 7-1 in Chicago’s last eight games against a team with a losing record. Detroit has struggled to score runs all season, ranking 29th in the league in runs per nine innings. Hill was sharp against the Guardians and might be difficult to solve here. Lean towards the under (U8.5, -115) in this one.
Philadelphia Phillies (-130) vs St. Louis Cardinals (+105)
Starter Kyle Gibson is in a rough patch for the Phillies. He has a 9.69 ERA and 1.77 WHIP over his last three starts, giving up a whopping six home runs in his last 13 innings pitched. He got hammered against the Cardinals on July 2, giving up six runs off of four homers in just four innings pitched. The good news is that St. Louis starter Dakota Hudson has been equally putrid, posting a 9.45 ERA and 2.17 WHIP in his last three outings. This looks like it could be high-scoring, so lean towards the team that gets to bat last. Take St. Louis (+105) in this one.
The total has gone over in three of Hudson’s last five starts and in both of Gibson’s last two outings. Neither of these pitchers seems to be able to find the plate unless they’re serving up meatballs. Neither of these pitchers has gone into the fifth inning in weeks, and the bullpens are usually a recipe for the total to go over. This number seems very low, so play the over here (O7.5, -115).
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
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