Max Fried will take the mound for the Yankees on Monday night on the South Side of Chicago.
The clash at Rate Field kicks off a massive four-game set against the White Sox, as the Yankees try to close the gap on the Tampa Bay Rays atop the AL East.
The White Sox enter the contest with a 2.5-game lead on the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central. The South Siders entered the season with a win total of 63.5 games. They’re nine victories away from surpassing that mark.
The Pinstripes are a lukewarm -136 favorite on the road.
While the headlines for this series will be about Fried, Gerrit Cole, and Cam Schlittler pitching on consecutive nights, it’s really about whether or not the Yankees offense can provide any support for their pitching hydra.
With Cody Bellinger, Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton on the sidelines, the Bronx Bombers are just not a threatening bunch with the bat.
At full health, the heart of the Yankee lineup is a gauntlet, but these days it features some combination of Ben Rice, Jazz Chisholm, Jasson Dominguez, and Paul Goldschmidt.
That’s not going to strike fear into anybody.
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Except for maybe Noah Schultz.
Chicago’s starter on Monday night has posted a dreadful stat line through 12 starts this season. The 22-year-old is 3-7 and owns a 6.04 ERA, 5.28 xFIP, and a 1.46 WHIP. Schultz’s .273 expected batting average against puts him in the 11th percentile league-wide, per Baseball Savant.
Even without Bellinger, Stanton, and Judge, there’s no excuse for the Yankees to put up a crooked number.
Although it’s just his second start since May, Fried looked like his vintage self against the Pirates last week, and should be able to contain a White Sox lineup that’s bang average against left-handed pitching.
Laying any juice with the banged-up Yankees offense isn’t anybody’s idea of fun right now, but the pitching matchup significantly favors the Pinstripes.
The Play: Yankees moneyline (-136, DraftKings)
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
