Check Out the White Sox vs Athletics Betting Guide and Expert Picks – 8/6/2024

Chicago White Sox

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Oakland Athletics

As the Oakland Athletics prepare to face the Chicago White Sox on August 6, 2024, both teams are enduring dismal seasons. The Athletics currently sit with a record of 47-67, while the White Sox are struggling even more at 27-88. These two teams are not only battling for pride but also looking to build momentum heading into the latter half of the season.

In their previous matchup on August 5, the Athletics secured a commanding 5-1 victory, showcasing their offensive prowess, particularly from Brent Rooker, who has been their standout hitter this season with 28 home runs and 81 RBIs. Rooker’s performance reflects the Athletics’ 4th-best rank in home runs this season, despite their overall offensive struggles, as they languish at 27th in batting average.

On the mound, the Athletics are projected to start Ross Stripling, who has had a rough season with a 2-10 Win/Loss record and an ERA of 5.64. His last outing saw him pitch well, going 6 innings with just 1 earned run. However, he faces a challenging matchup against the White Sox offense, which ranks dead last in the league. The White Sox will counter with Jonathan Cannon, who holds a 1-5 record and a 4.11 ERA. Despite his below-average strikeout rate, Cannon’s recent performance included 7 solid innings with only 1 earned run allowed.

Interestingly, the projections give the Athletics a high implied team total of 4.92 runs, suggesting they should capitalize on the White Sox’s struggling pitching staff. With the Athletics’ recent success and their ability to hit for power, they enter this game as the favorites, yet the projections indicate that the White Sox could offer value as underdogs. As the series continues, both teams will look to find their footing, but the Athletics appear poised to maintain their momentum after a convincing win.

Chicago White Sox Insights

• Jonathan Cannon – Over/Under 3.5 Strikeouts (-150/+120)
  In his last GS, Jonathan Cannon didn’t have his best stuff when it came to striking batters out and only managed to tally 2 Ks.
  Explain: A pitcher who struggled in his last outing may have something wrong that affects him in his next outing as well.
• Gavin Sheets – Over/Under 0.5 Hits (-150/+115)
  Gavin Sheets has primarily hit in the top-half of the lineup this year (98% of the time), but he is projected to bat 7th in the batting order in today’s game.
  Explain: The lower in the order a player bats, the fewer plate appearances he will get and the fewer opportunities he will get to hit the Over for every market. A player who hits lower in the order than he normally does may provide extra value opportunity since the market may be based on him hitting higher.
• The Chicago White Sox have been the 2nd-unluckiest offense in Major League Baseball this year, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), and are likely to perform better going forward
  Explain: When teams underperform their projected talent level, markets may undervalue them even while they are likely to perform better in the near future.

Oakland Athletics Insights

• Ross Stripling – Over/Under 17.5 Pitching Outs (-125/-105)
  Ross Stripling has a mean projection of 17.1 outs in today’s game, as forecasted by the leading projection system (THE BAT X).
  Explain: THE BAT X is a highly sophisticated projection system that accounts for a multitude of factors like ballpark, weather, umpire, defense, and more.
• Brent Rooker – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+115/-150)
  Brent Rooker has seen a substantial gain in his exit velocity on flyballs this season; just compare his 97.7-mph average to last season’s 94.9-mph figure.
  Explain: Most home runs are flyballs, and the harder those flyballs are hit, the more often they turn into home runs. This is a strong indicator of power.
• The 9.4% Barrel% of the Oakland Athletics makes them the #4 squad in baseball this year by this metric.
  Explain: Barrel% measures how often a player hits the ball at the optimal exit velocity and launch angle and is a terrific measure of underlying power.

Betting Trends

• Oakland Athletics – Over/Under 2.5 1st Five Innings (F5) Team Total (-110/-120)
  The Oakland Athletics have hit the 1st Five Innings (F5) Team Total Over in 26 of their last 40 games (+10.60 Units / 22% ROI)
• Chicago White Sox – Over/Under 3.5 Team Total (-115/-115)
  The Chicago White Sox have hit the Team Total Under in 9 of their last 10 away games (+8.10 Units / 67% ROI)
• Lawrence Butler – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+120/-150)
  Lawrence Butler has hit the Total Bases Over in 20 of his last 29 games (+8.90 Units / 22% ROI)