Betting odds: Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox
- Twins Moneyline: -123 (Jose Berrios)
- White Sox Moneyline: +112 (Michael Kopech)
- Over/Under: 9
- First pitch: 8:10 p.m. ET
>> All odds as of 8:45 a.m. ET. Download The Action Network App or check out our MLB Live Odds page to get real-time data and track your bets
White Sox fans finally have something to get excited for this summer, as top prospect Michael Kopech will make his MLB debut tonight on the South Side. If the name sounds familiar, you might have watched him dominate in the MLB Futures Game or heard he was part of the deal that sent Chris Sale from Chicago to Boston.
IT'S HAPPENING: @MichaelKopech5 is coming to Chicago!
Tuesday night vs. Minnesota, #NextSox becomes #WhiteSox. Get your 🎟 now: https://t.co/oZQDCOjWFzpic.twitter.com/JWTnilYuYQ
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) August 19, 2018
The flamethrowing righty features an absolutely electric fastball and a hard slider. How electric is the heater? He once hit 105 mph on the radar gun. Yes, 105.
While his overall Triple-A numbers in Charlotte aren't overwhelming (7-7, 3.70 ERA), he leads the minors with 170 strikeouts in 126 innings. He's also been on a roll recently, going 4-0 with a 1.84 over his past seven starts.
It's always hard to predict how a kid will perform during his first MLB start.
We saw what can go wrong Monday night in this exact matchup when Stephen Gonsalves flopped in his debut for the Twins.
But I think Kopech has the stuff, stones and momentum to thrive in this spot.
The Twins will counter with Jose Berrios, who should arrive in the South Side with supreme confidence.
The right-hander has dominated the White Sox throughout his career, going 6-1 in seven starts with a sparkling 2.28 ERA and 0.87 WHIP. That includes a 3-0 record with a 2.45 ERA in three starts this season.
Berrios ranks in the top 25 among all qualified pitchers in K%, which bodes well against a White Sox team that strikes out an MLB-leading 25.9% of at-bats.
If you're looking for one knock on Berrios, he tends to struggle on the road, where his career ERA sits at 5.27 compared to 3.75 at home.
While I ultimately think Berrios pitches well, the line looks too high in a game, I price closer to a coin flip. I also fancy the under, which I'll split between the full game and first five to hedge August bullpen shenanigans.
The Picks
0.5 unit on each
- Full Game Under 9 (-105)
- First Five Under 5 (-115)
- White Sox +112
