White Sox vs. Cubs Prediction, Odds and Props for Aug. 18: Take the Over

On Tuesday night in the Windy City, the Chicago Cubs play host to the crosstown rival Chicago White Sox in the second game of an interleague series. Right here we have you covered with the latest odds, pitching matchup, and player props in this White Sox vs. Cubs prediction.

The White Sox (65-59) had won three in a row before losing the opener of this series. They are in first place in the AL Central, 4.5 games clear of the second-place Detroit Tigers.

The Cubs (73-53) took the series opener 7-5 after losing their previous two games. They are in second place in the NL Central, 4.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers and hold the top NL Wild Card.

US sportsbooks have the Cubbies as the favorite in the second game of this series, posted at -171 with the White Sox at +141 and a total of 8.5 runs.

What a Turnaround for the White Sox 

The White Sox have had an incredible turnaround, now in first place in the AL Central after having the most losses in the AL last season. They came up big in their last series, sweeping the Tigers to extend their lead over them in the division.

In the opener of this series, in the 7-5 loss, Randal Grichuk and Andrew Benintendi each had a home run and combined for five RBIs.

This season, the White Sox rank eighth in the Majors in runs and 15th in team ERA. They have averaged 6.3 runs over their last five games.

Miguel Vargas (.239, 28 home runs, 72 RBIs) leads the team in RBIs, is tied for the team lead in home runs, and has four home runs and six RBIs over the last six games. Munetaka Murakami (.233, 28 home runs, 57 RBIs) also has 28 home runs and has two in the last three games.

White Sox Starter for Second Game of Series 

Bryan Hudson (3-4, 3.24 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) goes for the Sox and will be making a spot start in this game, as he has mainly worked out of the bullpen, and while making six starts, he has not lasted past two innings in any appearance this season. He has pitched two innings against the Cubs this season, giving up two runs. In 51 2/3 innings this season, Hudson has struck out 50 and walked 17.

Hudson will likely not last long and hand the ball off to a White Sox bullpen, which ranks 10th in bullpen ERA.

First Time in a While and the First Time Ever 

In the 7-5 win over the White Sox in the series opener, Cubs’ young star Pete Crow-Armstrong became the first player since 2010 to hit a leadoff home run and a walk-off home run in the same game and hit his first career walk-off homer. He had three RBIs in the game, Seiya Suzuki had a solo shot, and Nico Hoerner was 4 for 5 with two RBIs.

This season, the Cubs rank second in runs scored and 17th in team ERA.

Crow-Armstrong (.281, 30 home runs, 78 RBIs) leads the club in batting average, home runs, and RBIs and has three home runs and five RBIs in the last two games. He has six home runs and 15 RBIs in August, and at DraftKings he recently overtook Shohei Ohtani (-105) for the best odds to win the NL MVP at -115.

Suzuki (.273, 22 home runs, 74 RBIs) ranks second on the team in home runs and RBIs and has had a solid August with four home runs and 14 RBIs in 15 games.

White Sox Starter for Second Game of Series 

Kevin Gausman (6-11, 4.53 ERA, 1.27 WHIP) goes in Game 2 and will be making his third start for the Cubs after coming to them in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays. They won his first start, giving up two runs in seven innings, but lost his last one, where he was not sharp, giving up six runs in 4 2/3 innings. He has not faced the White Sox this season, and in 139 innings he has struck out 138 batters and walked 38.

White Sox vs. Cubs Prediction 

Over 8.5 runs DraftKings, -113

The total went Over in the opener in this series, and that is the pick I am taking in this game. The total has gone Over for the last three games for the Cubs and for four of the last five games for the White Sox. Each team has a solid lineup, with the Cubs the second-highest scoring team in the Majors and the White Sox ranking eighth in runs scored. On top of that, Gausman was lit up for six runs in his last start. No pitcher’s duel in this interleague contest, and the Over is the pick for what will be a higher-scoring game.

Player Prop Bets 

Here are some value player prop bets at DraftKings.

• Pete Crow-Armstrong 2+ hits (+238) - PCA has five hits in the last two games and leads the Cubs in batting average.
• Colson Montgomery 1+ hits (139) - While only batting .212 Montgomery has hit safely in three games in a row.
• Kevin Guasman Under 17.5 outs (+110) - Gausman only lasted 4 ⅔ innings in his last start and will not last long in this one.

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