MLB Picks: White Sox vs Angels

Can the Sox hold on to their lead in the Central? Or will the Angels, in their quest to stay in the playoff picture, do Detroit a favor and knock off Chicago a couple of times? And might there be some money to be made betting on this series?

LA has taken the first two games of this series, after winning Saturday night 4-2. The Angels came through for us as -175 favorites Saturday, and the game played UNDER its total of eight. 

So LA's victory, combined with an Oakland loss in New York, brings the Angels to within 2.5 games of the A's in the battle for the second American League Wild-Card spot. 

Chicago, meanwhile, has now lost four games in a row, scoring a total of seven runs in the process. So the Sox's lead in the AL Central has dwindled to just a half-game over second-place Detroit. 

Sunday's Starters 

LA will throw Cy Young candidate Jered Weaver (18-4, 2.79) Sunday afternoon against Gavin Floyd (10-10, 4.50) for Chicago. 

Weaver is 20-for-27 on quality starts this season, and two for his last three. His last time out he gave up three runs on six hits through seven innings vs. the Rangers, and over his last three starts he's allowed five earned runs through 19 1/3 innings. He has also, however, been tagged for four home runs over those last three starts. 

On the season, Weaver has allowed just 135 hits through 174 innings. 

This will be Weaver's first start this year vs. the White Sox. Last year Weaver went 2-0 vs. Chicago, allowing just two ER in 14 innings of work. 

Floyd, meanwhile, is 11-for-26 on quality starts this year, and just one for his last seven. Most recently, Floyd held the Royals to two runs through seven innings, so since a stint on the DL with a sore elbow he's allowed five ER through 11 2/3 innings. 

On the season, Floyd has allowed 154 hits, including 20 homers, in 150 innings. 

In two starts this year vs. LA, Floyd has been clipped for 12 ER and 18 hits in 12 1/3 innings. The Sox lost both those games. 

Sunday's Betting Odds and Trends 

Several online sportsbooks opened this game with the Angels favored by around -180, but quickly bumped LA to -200 and even -210. The Angels can also be played at around +105 giving the run and a half on the run line at various baseball betting outlets. 

And the total on Sunday's game sits at 7.5. 

Free MLB Pick for Sunday 

LA took the opener of this series Friday night, 6-2, getting five runs in four innings off Jake Peavy and a very quality outing from Ervin Santana. The Angels won as -135 favorites on the MLB betting line, and the game sneaked OVER its total of 7.5 when Chicago scored a meaningless run in the top of the eighth. 

So LA, with five wins in its last eight games, now trails Oakland by 3.5 games in the battle for the second AL Wild-Card spot. 

The White Sox, meanwhile, have lost three straight games, and now lead the AL Central by just a game and a half over second-place Detroit. 

Saturday's Starters 

LA will throw Dan Haren (11-11, 4.31) Saturday night against Chicago with Jose Quintana (6-4, 3.69). 

Haren, by our tough standards, is just 11-for-28 on quality starts this season, although two for his last four. In his latest start, he held the Royals to two earned runs through 5 2/3 innings, and over his last four starts, he's allowed six ER and 17 hits in 25 innings. 

On the season, Haren has still allowed more hits, 171, than innings pitched, 159, and given up 25 homers, but his K/BB ratio is very good, at 127/37. 

In his one start this year vs. the White Sox, Haren held them to one ER and four hits over six innings back in early August. 

Quintana is 10-for-22 on quality starts this season, but only one for his last five. His last time out he gave up four runs and seven hits in four innings vs. the Tigers, and over his last five starts he's allowed 20 earned runs and 31 hits over just 22 1/3 innings. Those last five outings have bumped Quintana's ERA almost a full run, and that's hard to do this late in a season. 

On the year Quintana has allowed more hits, 130, than innings pitched, 127, walked 34 and struck out 75. 

This will be Quintana's first career start vs. the Angels. 

Saturday's Betting Odds 

As of Saturday AM, most MLB odds makers were listing Haren and the Angels at right around -170 for Saturday night's game, with a total of eight or 8.5. 

LA could also be found at around +120 on the run line at various baseball betting outlets. 

Free MLB Pick for Saturday 

We took a hit with Chicago as a dog Friday night as the Sox continued to have trouble scoring runs. As for Saturday, Haren has been better lately, while Quintana has struggled. So, we'll go with the Angels.

White Sox – Angels: Tangle in Anaheim

The Chicago White Sox continue to lead the AL Central and the LA Angels continue to chase in the AL Wild-Card race. So, there are serious playoff implications as these teams begin a three-game series in Anaheim Friday night.

Chicago-Los Angeles: Series Set-Up

The White Sox just dropped two of three games in Kansas City, losing Thursday's series rubber match 4-3 on a Royals run in the bottom of the ninth. So after winning five games in a row Chicago has lost two straight.

The Sox had been banging the ball around a bit, recently scoring at least five runs in 10 of 12 games. But they got held to six runs total in the three games in KC.

Big-picture, Chicago still owns a two-game lead in the AL Central over the Tigers, with 13 games remaining on both team's schedules.

Meanwhile, LA just dropped two of three games at home to Texas, losing that series rubber match Thursday night 3-1 on a two-run Adrian Beltre homer in the top of the ninth. So the Angels have lost six of their last 10 games, which is not the way to make up ground in a playoff race.

Heading into Friday LA trails the Orioles and Athletics by 4.5 games in the AL Wild-Card standings. 

As far as the season series between these teams goes, back in May they split two games in Anaheim. Then in August the Sox took two of three games from the Angels in Chicago.

Friday's Pitching Matchup