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MLB

Friday’s Best Bet

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
4 minute read
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Friday MLB Betting Preview
Chicago White Sox vs LA Angels

The LA Angels nearly coughed up what should have been an easy victory in the series opener with the White Sox last night, as an 8-2 lead turned into 8-7 late before the door was finally shut. It was a good win for an Angels team that desperately needed one as the losses had been piling up, but that's now four wins in their last six games overall as this team is starting to be competitive again.

For the White Sox, it was a tough defeat to take after they were coming off taking two of three against the Astros, but starter Reynaldo Lopez just made too many mistakes early on, and once that 8-2 hole was dug, it was slightly too big for Chicago's bats to climb out of.

Chicago does get another kick at the can tonight with their All-Star Lucas Giolito on the hill, as he's looking for one of his better results since returning from the mid-summer classic. Will he and the White Sox get it done as small road underdogs today?

MLB Odds: Chicago (+103) vs LAA (-113); Total set at 8.5

Similar to yesterday's opener when conversation on the side centered on whether or not you believed (or wanted to back) this Angels team at a -155ish price point and the general consensus was no. Chicago found themselves in that dreaded 'public underdog' role, and while they put up a fight late, it wasn't meant to be.

Today's line has already seen significant support for the White Sox again, pushing down the opener of -120ish on LAA, as it's still a question for many about whether or not you can trust this Angels team. Chicago does have Giolito taking the hill which always helps their cause, as he's been solid for them all year long.

However, the results have started to regress for Giolito and the White Sox in his outings, as Chicago is just 2-4 SU in his six starts since the All-Star game. His last outing was a gem that didn't get paid off, as he struck out 13 Oakland A's in six innings, only to see his teammates fail to give him a single run of support. The 2-0 loss was a tough one to take, especially since they rode him for awhile, making it his second straight game of throwing 100+ pitches. That's something he had only done one other time since the middle of June, and the following start was a tough 4-2 loss vs the Mets.

On the Angels side of things, they are sending out Patrick Sandoval for his second “official” start of the year, but he had been used in the post-opener role as well. With 5+ innings a bit of a pipe dream for him this evening, you can understand the trepidation once again to back this LA Angels team, but with 7+ runs scored in each of their last three games overall, giving Sandoval run support might not be as big of an issues as some may think. Yes, it's up against Giolito, but he's been a solid regression candidate since the All-Star break, and the 2-4 record for the White Sox since then show that's partly the case.

What may be even more concerning for White Sox backers tonight is the fact that the team is just 10-21 SU in their last 31 on the road against a losing team. A run like that is stunting the growth of this rebuilding team learning how to win, and while there are always various different scenarios popping up for why some of those losses happen, if you can't beat the bad teams on the road, how are you ever going to get over that hump. They are 4-12 SU in their last 16 against a losing team regardless of site, and when paired with the regression candidate that Giolito is the rest of the way, this line should have probably moved the other way in my opinion.

Even with the potential choke job last night, the Angels proved they were worth the -155+ price tag last night and they'll prove they were worth the -120 opening line tonight as well, taking Game 2 of this series this evening.

Best Bet: LAA ML


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