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The 2024 season might not hold much more intrigue for the Chicago White Sox — and increasingly, the same is becoming true of the crosstown rival Cubs, who are five games away from a wild-card spot.
However, standings aside, a matchup in a rivalry as historic and intense as this one is always a big occasion, especially when the games are set for Friday and Saturday nights.
The White Sox have snapped their historic losing streak, and the Cubs are coming off a nice series win over a strong Minnesota Twins team, so spirits are high on both sides heading into this Windy City rivalry matchup.
In June, the Cubs won the first two games of the season between these teams at Wrigley Field- both by a score of exactly 7-6, coincidentally. With just two games left on Chicago’s South Side, the Cubs can clinch the season series with a win in either of the remaining matchups, while the best the Sox can hope for is a split.
After Garrett Crochet surprisingly remained with the White Sox after the trade deadline, he’ll be making perhaps his biggest start of the season on Friday night against Jameson Taillon. Let’s take a look at the matchup and talk about what to expect, including a best bet for the contest.
Cubs vs. White Sox odds
- Moneyline: Cubs -148 | White Sox +126
- Run Line: Cubs -1.5 (+108) | White Sox +1.5 (-130)
- Total: Over 8 runs: -108 | Under 8 runs: -112
Odds via FanDuel
Cubs vs. White Sox prediction & pick
Crochet should be a tough test for a Cubs lineup that has been soundly below average, and we’re getting them at a good time to fade; they’ve scored at least five runs in six of their past eight games, all wins. He’s in the 100th percentile for fastball run value, and he’s in similar territory for whiff and strikeout rates.
On the other side of things, Taillon has been solid but not quite as dominant. He doesn’t walk many batters, so he shouldn’t work himself into trouble, and he shouldn’t have much of an issue against a White Sox offense that ranks dead last in baseball in both runs scored and OPS. He does a good deal better against right-handed hitters, exhibiting a classic platoon split, another favorable metric against this White Sox lineup.
This is just about as close of a line as you’ll see for a White Sox game due to the presence of Crochet, but don’t get pulled in; the Cubs could very easily shut off offensively against the Sox ace and drop this one across town from home. Instead, let’s fade both lineups against solid pitching; 8 isn’t the highest total you’ll ever see, but this should be a hard-fought, low-scoring battle, especially with both bullpens rested and ready after a day off.
Pick: Under 8 runs (-112, FanDuel)