Saturday, June 25, 2016

U.S. Cellular Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: R.A. Dickey vs. Miguel Gonzalez

The Toronto Blue Jays head to U.S. Cellular Field on Saturday to take on the Chicago White Sox. The probable pitchers are R.A. Dickey for the Blue Jays and Miguel Gonzalez for the White Sox. The opening line for this game has Toronto at -119 and Chicago at +109. The over/under is 9. The Blue Jays have a 29-41-4 over/under mark and a 38-36-0 run line record, meaning they cover 51% of the time. The White Sox are 35-38-0 against the run line and have a 33-37-3 over/under record. They cover the spread 48% of the time.

The Blue Jays head into this game with a 40-34 record, and they are 21-17 on the road. Starting pitcher R.A. Dickey has a 4-8 record with an ERA of 4.08 and a WHIP of 1.33. He has 59 strikeouts during his 90.1 innings pitched and he has given up 87 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 8.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.85. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 4.08 and they have allowed 194 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .255 against the pen while they've been struck out 191 times and walked 62 times this year. As a unit, Toronto has given up 8.29 base hits per nine innings while striking out 7.61 hitters per nine. They are 8th in the Majors in team earned run average at 3.85. The Blue Jays pitchers have collectively given up 611 base hits and 284 earned runs. They have allowed 80 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Toronto as a pitching staff has walked 223 batters and struck out 561. They walk 3 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.26 and their FIP as a unit is 4.10.

As a team, Toronto is hitting .245, good for 21st in the league while putting together a .228 average on the road. The Blue Jays have a .435 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .326 which is good for 11th in the league. They rank 21st in baseball with 8.24 hits per contest. Josh Donaldson comes into this game hitting .279 and his on-base percentage is at .391. He has 75 hits this season along with 61 runs scored and 46 runs batted in. He's struck out 59 times and has walked 47 times. Edwin Encarnacion is hitting .255 and he has an on-base percentage of .347. He has totaled 70 hits so far while scoring 43 runs and he's driven in 62. He has walked 36 times and has struck out 61 times. The Blue Jays have 609 hits, including 128 doubles and 107 home runs. They've stolen 24 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 10 times. Toronto has walked 273 times this season and they've struck out 602 times as a unit. They've left 488 men on base and have a team OPS of .761. They score 4.65 runs per contest and have scored a total of 344 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this game with a 17-17 home mark and a 36-37 overall record. With an ERA of 4.29, Miguel Gonzalez has a 1-2 record and a 1.45 WHIP. He has 42 strikeouts over the 50.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 52 hits. He has allowed 9.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.11. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.55 and they have given up 208 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .247 against the White Sox bullpen while being struck out 196 times and walking 108 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 8.95 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.8 batters per nine. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.01. The White Sox pitchers as a team have surrendered 652 base knocks and 292 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 72 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff has walked 256 hitters and struck out 568. They give up a walk 3.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.39 while their FIP as a staff is 4.08.

As a team, they are batting .245, good for 22nd in the league while putting together a .241 average at home. The White Sox hold a .389 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .314 which is good for 20th in baseball. They rank 19th in baseball with 8.32 hits per contest. Adam Eaton comes into this matchup batting .280 and he has an OBP of .364. He has 80 hits this year along with 37 runs scored and 22 RBI. He's struck out 48 times and has walked on 29 occasions. Melky Cabrera is hitting .289 and he has an OBP of .343. He has collected 76 hits so far while he's scored 34 runs and drove in 37. He has earned a walk 23 times and has punched out 32 times. The White Sox as a unit have 606 base hits, including 119 doubles and 68 homers. They have 27 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 18 times. Chicago as a team has walked 230 times this year and they have struck out 595 times. They've had 506 men left on base and have an OPS of .703. They score 4.11 runs per game and have totaled 300 runs so far this season.

Toronto Blue Jays Betting Trends

The Toronto Blue Jays are 29-41-4 against the over/under so far this season

The Toronto Blue Jays are 38-36-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago White Sox Betting Trends

The Chicago White Sox are 33-37-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago White Sox are 35-38-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Toronto Blue Jays

06/23/16 3B Josh Donaldson Neck injured last game, "?" Friday vs. Chicago White Sox
06/22/16 RF Ezequiel Carrera Achilles "?" Friday vs Chicago White Sox
06/22/16 P Marco Estrada Back expected to start Monday vs. Colorado Rockies
06/17/16 RF Jose Bautista Toe 15-day DL (6/17)
05/15/16 P Brett Cecil Tricep 15-day DL (5/15)
04/22/16 1B Chris Colabello Suspension expected to miss 80 games
04/10/16 P Franklin Morales Arm 60-day DL (4/7)
04/04/16 P Bo Schultz Hip 15-day DL (3/25)

Chicago White Sox

06/21/16 P Zach Putnam Elbow 15-day DL (6/21)
06/10/16 DH Justin Morneau Elbow 15-day DL (6/9)
06/10/16 CF Austin Jackson Knee 15-day DL (6/10)
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 White Sox

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Tony Sink