Cubs White Sox Betting – Cubs And White Sox Meet In Windy City Showdown
The bragging rights for the city of Chicago are on the line next week, as the flagging Cubs and the slowly rebounding White Sox meet for three games on the South Side of Chicago.
Interleague Series Betting Pick:
Chicago Cubs @ Chicago White Sox - Monday, June 20 - 8:10 PM ET
The ranks of sports betting gurus who follow the major leagues on a consistent basis are faced with a tricky series to predict. Emotions can get the best of anyone, so when this series between the Windy City’s two baseball rivals gets underway, the Cubs might be able to draw first blood. Carlos Zambrano, the Cubs’ starter in this game, has a 4.59 earned-run average. That’s very high for a man who used to be a Cy Young Award contender, and it’s also high for a man who pitches in the National League. However, in a rivalry game, the passionate Zambrano might be able to find an extra level of intensity, thereby enabling him to get more movement and action on his pitches. He will have a challenge in trying to turn aside White Sox starter Gavin Floyd, whose earned-run average is a respectable 3.94. The pure percentages might suggest that the White Sox should win, but the view here is that the Cubs will take Monday’s game.
Cubs White Sox Betting Pick: Cubs
Chicago Cubs @ Chicago White Sox - Tuesday, June 21 - 8:10 PM ET
The view of this Tuesday tilt is decidedly murky. There really doesn’t seem to be too much separation between the starting pitchers for the second game of this three-game set in the White Sox’ home ballpark. First, let’s look at the Cubs’ pitcher in this game, Matt Garza. The starter for the visiting team on Tuesday night is in possession of a 4.14 earned-run average heading into this game. Garza has not quite pitched at the level he displayed with the Tampa Bay Rays. He has not given his manager, Mike Quade, the sort of starting pitching that will enable the Cubbies to play winning baseball and move over the .500 mark as this season progresses. Opposing Garza is Mark Buehrle, who owns a half-decent 3.75 earned-run average to date in 2011, but with that having been said, Buehrle has seen better seasons. It’s never anything to sneeze at when a starting pitcher in the American League compiles an earned-run average under four, but Buehrle used to have more command and sharpness with his pitches. He was more imposing on the mound and inspired more fear among hitters. He doesn’t throw batters out of rhythm or generate the same level of hesitation he once did. That’s why this game is an open question. Ultimately, take the White Sox here if you think the Cubs rate as the favorite for Monday night. Whoever throws the first punch is likely to get a counterpunch in this contest. That’s how the laws of MLB baseball betting work, especially in inner-city rivalries. Neither team is likely to sweep this series, so if the Cubs are the pick on Monday, the Sox are the pick on Tuesday.
Cubs White Sox Betting Pick: White Sox
Chicago Cubs @ Chicago White Sox - Wednesday, June 22 - 8:10 PM ET
The third and final installment of this series comes on Wednesday night, as Doug Davis goes for the Cubs while Edwin Jackson takes the bump for the White Sox. Davis has a 5.75 earned-run average this season, and he has struggled with pronounced health issues in recent years. Davis is fortunate to have a Major League career after contracting thyroid cancer in 2008. Improbably, Davis encountered yet another extremely scary moment in 2010, when he reportedly felt that he was having a heart attack or stood on the verge of experiencing such an episode. In reality, Davis was suffering from pericarditis, an inflammation of areas near the heart. Davis is lucky that the form of pericarditis wasn’t as severe or threatening as it is for many other people who live with the disease. The simple fact that Davis is pitching at all is what makes for a great story.
However, amidst all this, the cold and hard business of placing a sports bet has to be dealt with. Davis is 0-5 on the season and is just not showing many signs of being a guy who will take the ball, shut down an opposing team’s lineup, and go deep into a game (at least the seventh inning). Jackson, the White Sox’ starter in this contest, is not exactly setting the world on fire with a 4.39 earned-run average, but he has better stuff than Davis and can occasionally display brilliance on the mound. In this pitching matchup, the White Sox are definitely better situated to win than the Cubs are. Expect the White Sox to win the rubber game of this series and keep the Cubs from making a late-June push in the National League Central Division standings.
Cubs White Sox Betting Pick: White Sox
