Well I hope all you readers are cool with staying up late this Thursday, as we are looking at the run line for three intriguing games all starting after 8:00 tonight:
White Sox @ Astros Run Line
Dylan Cease looks to continue his outstanding season when he takes the mound for the White Sox on Thursday. The righty has 17 K’s with just 2 ER in 12 IP over his last two starts, a pair of wins for Chicago. However, both of those starts came against the lowly Tigers. A much taller task awaits Cease in the form of the Houston Astros, who have averaged over 9 runs per game in their current three-game win streak.
Astros starter José Urquidy has also had a solid season, but unlike Cease he has struggled in his last two starts giving up 9 ER in 11.1 IP. However, those starts came on the road against the mighty Twins and Blue Jays offenses. The White Sox lineup right now is a shell of what their once projected Opening Day lineup looked like. While still dangerous, Chicago has been slightly middle of the road offensively lately (.323 wOBA in the last two weeks). The Astros have the hottest lineup in baseball in that time (.405 wOBA) have won seven out of their last nine games with an average margin of victory of 4.9 runs. While not an easy task by any means, I think the Astros assert their dominance right now and win convincingly against a banged up White Sox squad.
Pick: Astros -1.5 (+150 DK, +146)
Tigers @ Angels Run Line
In what is surely the most anticipated game of the night, heralded Tigers pitching prospect Matt Manning makes his MLB debut against the legend Shohei Ohtani and the Angels. While Manning certainly has a bright future, the Angels are not the team you want to make your debut against right now. The Fighting Ohtani’s have a 2nd-best .366 wOBA and 134 wRC+ over the last two weeks and haven’t scored fewer than 4 runs since June 4th. Also keep in mind that Manning had actually struggled significantly in seven starts in AAA this year with an 8.07 ERA.
On the mound, Ohtani has put together two consecutive outstanding starts and shouldn’t have too much trouble with Detroit. Even though the Tigers have won three in a row and the Angels have lost three in a row, I am fully confident that both of those streaks end tonight. If you even want to sprinkle a little HR prop for Ohtani, as long as he is in the lineup, I wouldn’t blame you for that.
Pick: Angels – 1.5 (+100 DK, +106 FD)
Rays @ Mariners Run Line
Prior to getting tagged for 4 ER in 4.2 IP against the Orioles in his last start, Rich Hill had allowed just 3 ER in 36.2 IP over his previous 6 starts. The Orioles are a top 5 team in baseball against LHP with a .341 wOBA and 118 wRC+. In contrast, the Mariners are a bottom 5 team in baseball against LHP with a .287 wOBA and 85 wRC+. Seattle starter Justin Dunn showed promise before landing on the IL in late May. He was absolutely bombarded by a weak hitting Cleveland team in his first start back on Friday, allowing 9 hits and 5 ER in 3 IP that honestly could have been much worse. While he may not be that bad tonight, I expect the potent Rays lineup to scratch across enough runs to comfortably support Hill on the road.
Pick: Rays -1.5 (-107 DK, -111 FD)
Kyle Stanzel Overall Record: 29-29-0
Net Money (Assuming all wagers are $100): +$1,043.07
Featured Image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)