The Chicago White Sox (27-77) and the Texas Rangers (50-52) wrap up a 4-game series Thursday. First pitch from Globe Life Field is at 2:35 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the White Sox vs. Rangers odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Rangers lead 3-0
The White Sox look to avoid the 4-game sweep against the defending champs. The Rangers won the first 2 games by 1 run apiece — 4-3 in 10 innings and 3-2 in 9 — and blew out the White Sox10-2 as heavy -266 favorites Wednesday with the Over (8.5) connecting for the 1st time in this series.
Chicago has dropped 10 games in a row — 4 before the All-Star break and 6 since Friday. The Sox haven’t scored more than 3 runs in the last 6 games, only doing so once in their past 11 contests. They are 1-13 in the last 14 games — the only win in that stretch was a 3-1 home victory vs. the Minnesota Twins July 10.
Meanwhile, Texas has won 7 straight meetings vs. the Southsiders — 3 in this series and 4 in a row last season. The Under is 3-1 in the past 4 meetings.
The Rangers have won 4 in a row overall, with 3 of those victories coming by a single run. The Under is 3-1 in their past 4 outings, while cashing at a 5-3 pace in the previous 8 outings.
White Sox at Rangers projected starters
RHP Jonathan Cannon vs. RHP Max Scherzer
Cannon (1-4, 4.58 ERA) makes his 10th start and 12th appearance. The rookie has a 1.32 WHIP, 2.1 BB/9 and 6.8 K/9 through 57 innings.
- Last start: Loss, 6 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 0 BB, 4 K in 6-1 setback at Kansas City Royals Saturday
- 2024 road splits: 0-3, 6.46 ERA (23 2/3 IP, 17 ER), 1.56 WHIP, .313 opponents’ batting average (OBA), 6 BB, 20 K in 5 starts
- Never faced Rangers before
Scherzer (1-3, 3.99 ERA) makes his 7th start. He has a 1.16 WHIP, 1.8 BB/9 and 7.4 K/9 through 29 1/3 innings.
- Last start: Loss, 2 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 1 K in 8-4 home setback vs. Baltimore Orioles Saturday
- 2024 home splits: 1-2, 4.73 ERA (13 1/3 IP, 7 ER), 1.13 WHIP, .240 OBA, 3 BB, 8 K in 3 starts
- Career vs. White Sox: 14-6, 2.50 ERA (169 IP, 47 ER), 1.03 WHIP, 9.6 K/9 in 25 starts
Who’s going yard? Here’s a breakdown of today’s best home run props with our top picks. Include the BetMGM bonus code SBWIRE to score a $1,500 first-bet offer.
White Sox at Rangers odds
Provided by FanDuel RCCOvhGgaMKBOok; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2:18 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): White Sox +210 (bet $100 to win $210) | Rangers -255 (bet $255 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): White Sox +1.5 (+100) | Rangers -1.5 (-120)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8 (O: -106 | U: -114)
White Sox at Rangers picks and predictions
Prediction
Rangers 6, White Sox 3
Moneyline
The Rangers (-255) will cost just a bit more than 2½ times the potential return. That’s way too much risk for not enough reward.
The White Sox (+210) cannot be trusted with Cannon going against the veteran Scherzer. However, while Texas has won all 3 meetings in this series, only one victory was by more than 1 run.
PASS.
Run line/Against the spread
TEXAS -1.5 (-120) is priced fairly on the run line. Texas belted Chicago 10-2 Wednesday, easily covering as a big favorite. Be careful, though. Texas might be 7-4 in its last 11 Games, but 5 of those victories was just by 1 run.
In addition, the Rangers are 1-4 on the run line in the past 5 starts by Scherzer, so tread lightly.
Over/Under
LEAN OVER 8 (-106) — only bet a HALF UNIT at best.
The O/U is 3-3 in the past 6 Games for the Rangers since the All-Star break. Texas is averaging 4.2 runs per Game (RPG), while allowing 4.3 RPG in the 6-Game span.
For the White Sox, the Under is 5-1 in their past 6 games, and 9-2 across the previous 11 outings. Chicago’s offense is averaging just 1.9 RPG in the 10-game skid, so proceed cautiously.
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