Thursday, May 19, 2016

U.S. Cellular Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Collin McHugh vs. Chris Sale

The Houston Astros visit U.S. Cellular Field on Thursday to play the Chicago White Sox. The probable starters are Collin McHugh for the Astros and Chris Sale for the White Sox. The opening line for this matchup has Houston at +170 and Chicago at -180. The over/under was set at 7. The Astros have a 22-13-5 over/under record and a 16-24-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 40% of the time. The White Sox are 23-16-0 against the run line and have a 17-19-3 over/under record. They cover the spread 59% of the time.

The Astros head into this matchup with a 16-24 record, including 6-14 on the road. Starting pitcher Collin McHugh has a 4-3 record with an earned run average of 5.58 and a WHIP of 1.71. He has 30 strikeouts over his 40.1 innings pitched and he has given up 58 hits so far this season. He has allowed 12.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.37. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.98 and they have given up 129 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .239 against the bullpen while being struck out 141 times and walking 29 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 9.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.53 batters per nine. They are 24th in the league in team earned run average at 4.65. The Astros pitchers have collectively given up 390 base hits and 187 earned runs. They have allowed 48 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 107 batters and struck out 303. They walk 2.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.37 and their FIP as a unit is 4.08.

As a team, Houston is batting .233, good for 29th in the league while putting together a .228 average away from home. The Astros hold a .414 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .319 which is good for 14th in baseball. They rank 23rd in baseball with 7.92 hits per game. Jose Altuve comes into this game hitting .338 and his on-base percentage is at .427. He has 53 hits this season along with 37 runs scored and 24 runs batted in. He's struck out 20 times and has walked 23 times. Carlos Correa is hitting .268 and he has an on-base percentage of .374. He has totaled 40 hits so far while scoring 22 runs and he's driven in 19. He has walked 23 times and has struck out 42 times. The Astros have 317 hits, including 85 doubles and 51 home runs. They've stolen 37 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 13 times. Houston has walked 164 times this season and they've struck out 398 times as a unit. They've left 280 men on base and have a team OPS of .732. They score 4.3 runs per contest and have scored a total of 172 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this matchup with a 10-6 home record and a 24-15 overall mark. With an earned run average of 1.67, Chris Sale has a 8-0 record and a 0.76 WHIP. He has 53 strikeouts over the 59.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 35 hits. He has allowed 5.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.86. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 2.90 and they have given up 85 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .211 against the White Sox bullpen while being struck out 99 times and walking 40 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 7.84 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.68 batters per nine. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.20. The White Sox pitchers as a team have surrendered 304 base knocks and 124 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 33 home runs this year and they give up 0.9 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff has walked 117 hitters and struck out 298. They give up a walk 3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.21 while their FIP as a staff is 3.74.

As a team, they are batting .253, good for 14th in the league while putting together a .237 average at home. The White Sox hold a .400 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .328 which is good for 11th in baseball. They rank 14th in baseball with 8.64 hits per contest. Adam Eaton comes into this matchup batting .307 and he has an OBP of .400. He has 46 hits this year along with 19 runs scored and 14 RBI. He's struck out 16 times and has walked on 18 occasions. Melky Cabrera is hitting .295 and he has an OBP of .368. He has collected 43 hits so far while he's scored 20 runs and drove in 14. He has earned a walk 17 times and has punched out 14 times. The White Sox as a unit have 337 base hits, including 67 doubles and 37 homers. They have 13 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 10 times. Chicago as a team has walked 136 times this year and they have struck out 298 times. They've had 284 men left on base and have an OPS of .728. They score 4.44 runs per game and have totaled 173 runs so far this season.

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 22-13-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 16-24-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago White Sox Betting Trends

The Chicago White Sox are 17-19-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago White Sox are 23-16-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Houston Astros

05/17/16 CF Carlos Gomez Ribs 15-day DL (5/16)

Chicago White Sox

05/17/16 3B Todd Frazier Illness "?" Wednesday vs. Houston Astros
05/06/16 P Jacob Petricka Hip 15-day DL (5/2)
04/27/16 C Kevan Smith Pelvis 15-day DL (4/24)

Tony's Pick: Take the Astros

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