The Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox meet Thursday in the regular-season opener at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Tigers vs. White Sox odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Tigers won 8-5 in 2023, while splitting 3-3 in 6 Games in Chicago. The Under is 8-1 in the past 9 meetings, including 5-1 in the 6 meetings at Guaranteed Rate Field
The Tigers finished 78-84 last season, which was good for 2nd place in the American League Central Division, 9 games back of the 1st-place Minnesota Twins. The Tigers went 41-40 on the road, while piling up a 35-17 record inside the AL Central.
The White Sox ended up 61-101 in 2023, 26 games behind the Twins. Chicago ended up in 4th place, 5 games clear of the last-place Kansas City Royals. Chicago ended up 31-50 at home, while going 23-29 inside the AL Central.
Tigers at White Sox projected starters
LHP Tarik Skubal vs. LHP Garrett Crochet
Skubal (7-3, 2.80 ERA) made 15 starts in 2023. He posted a 0.90 WHIP, 1.6 BB/9 and 11.4 K/9 in 80 1/3 innings.
- 2023 road splits: 4-2, 4.17 ERA (41 IP, 19 ER – 2 HR), 7 BB, 43 K
- 2023 vs. Sox: 2-0, 1.50 ERA, 12 IP, 2 ER, 3 BB, 16 K in 2 starts
Crochet (0-2, 3.55 ERA) made 13 relief appearances in 2023. He posted a 1.97 WHIP, 9.2 BB/9 and 8.5 K/9 in 12 2/3 innings.
- 2023 home splits: 0-0, 3.60 ERA (5 IP, 2 ER – 1 HR), 2 BB, 5 K
- 2023 vs. Tigers: 0-0, 2.70 ERA, 3 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 7 BB, 3 K in 2 relief appearances
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Tigers at White Sox odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:43 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Tigers -175 (bet $175 to win $100) | White Sox +145 (bet $100 to win $145)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Tigers -1.5 (-110) | White Sox +1.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 7.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
Tigers at White Sox picks and predictions
Prediction
Tigers 5, White Sox 2
Moneyline
The TIGERS (-175) are rather heavy favorites, costing nearly 2 times your potential return. Still, behind Skubal, the Tigers are a strong play on the road. The southpaw won each of his 2 starts against the White Sox (+145) last season, and he and the visitors are a good bet on the road in the opener against a Chicago team expected to be one of the worst in the majors in 2024. The Tigers won the final 5 starts by Skubal in 2023, too.
Run line/Against the spread
The TIGERS -1.5 (-110) are worth a look on the run line. Detroit was 2-3 as a favorite on the run line against the White Sox +1.5 (-110) in 2023, but one of the covers was a start by Skubal on Sept. 9 at Comerica Park. In addition, the Tigers were 4-0 on the run line as a favorite to close out the 2023 campaign.
Over/Under
UNDER 7.5 (-105) is the lean in Thursday’s opener on Chicago’s Southside.
The Under cashed in 8 of the final 9 meetings between these AL Central rivals, while the total went low at a 6-3-1 clip in Skubal’s final 10 starts, including both of his starts against the Pale Hose in 2023.
For the White Sox, the Under cashed in the final 5 home games in 2023, while going 11-2 in the final 13 games of the regular season.
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