Can White Sox cool off Royals today?
For the second time in almost a week, Yordano Ventura and Carlos Rodon are ready to meet in a showdown of highly regarded young hurlers.
Their two respective teams, Kansas City and Chicago, continue a rain-shortened three-game series at 2:15 p.m. ET. Oddsmakers at online sports book BetDSI like the White Sox as 1.5-run favorites. Ned Yost’s troops, meanwhile, enter as -101 underdogs.
Last Sunday, the man with one of baseball’s most devastating sliders (2-4, 4.47 ERA) got the best of Ventura. Even though the latter pitched well, Rodon and the White Sox (27-22) emerged with the 3-2 victory. It marked the lefty’s first triumph since April 13.
This afternoon, Rodon must help South Siders avoid a season-high fifth consecutive defeat. Unfortunately for manager Robin Ventura, he knows that a quick hook could be in order if the 23-year-old keeps laboring when away from U.S. Cellular Field. Rodon has posted a 6.59 ERA in his past two outings on the road.
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He’ll face a Kansas City lineup that tallied seven runs about 15 hours ago. Eric Hosmer totaled three hits and four RBIs as the Royals (25-22) rallied from a considerable deficit in the opener. If Ventura’s (4-3, 4.81) locked in on the hill from the outset, the defending World Series champions should find themselves in the driver’s seat. Bank on the AL Central picture to become that much tighter.
SATURDAY MLB FREE PICK: ROYALS +1.5
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