Chris Sale will get the start for the Red Sox (75-78, 38-38 home) as they host the White Sox (58-95, 28-50 away) at Fenway Park. The White Sox will give the starting nod to Touki Toussaint. Check out my prediction for game one of this American League matchup between the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX VS BOSTON RED SOX BETTING PICK

The Pick: Boston Red Sox -1.5 Runs

This game will be played at Fenway Park at 7:10 ET on Friday, September 22nd.

WHY BET THE BOSTON RED SOX:

  • In their previous five games, the Red Sox are 3-2 vs. the runline.
  • The White Sox have gone just 3-7 in their last ten games vs. the runline.
  • Opponents are hitting a healthy .343 against Touki Toussaint in his last four starts.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX SEEK TO IMPROVE THEIR ROAD RECORD

So far this season, the White Sox have a series record of 11-32-6 and overall record of 58-95. This mark has Chicago placed 4th in the AL Central. On the road, they have a below .500 record of 28-50.

Toussaint has made 19 appearances in the 2023 season, boasting a 4-7 record. He has allowed a .216 batting average and carries an ERA of 5.40. On the road, he is 1-3 with an ERA of 5.40, while at home he is 3-4 with an ERA of 1.54. Opposing teams have a slugging percentage of .353 against him this year.

The Chicago Cubs are hoping that Touki Toussaint can lead them to another victory, as they emerged victorious the last time he took the mound. In that game, Toussaint allowed one earned run on three hits in five innings of work, helping the Cubs secure a 7-6 win over the Twins.

The White Sox’s offense comes into today’s game with a collective batting average of .240 and are averaging 4.1 runs per game for the season. Looking at their ten most recent games, Chicago has gone deep eight times, which is ranked 11th in that time. To date, the team’s OPS is .682 to go along with an on base percentage of .294.

Andrew Vaughn has been a key contributor to the White Sox offense this season, boasting a .260 batting average and .434 slugging percentage. In the team’s last ten games, he has been particularly impressive, leading Chicago in hits with a .315 average.

WILL THE BOSTON RED SOX TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

Going into today’s game, the Red Sox have a record of 75-78 and are 5th in the AL East. If they are able to pull out a win today, they will move above .500 at home (38-38). Overall, they have played in 49 series and have a record of 23-22-4.

Chris Sale has made 19 appearances in the 2023 season, with a record of 6-4. His ERA stands at 4.66, and batters have a .225 average against him. On the road, he is 5-3 with an ERA of 4.74, while his home record is 1-1 with an ERA of 6.33. Opposing teams have a slugging percentage of .419 against him this season.

Chris Sale earned a quality start in his most recent outing, tossing six frames and allowing just one run. Unfortunately, the Red Sox were unable to come away with a win against the Blue Jays, falling 4-3.

So far this season, the Red Sox’s has gone deep 178 times, placing them 16th in the league. Over Boston’s previous five games, they are 15th in runs scored, with their season average of 4.9 runs per game putting them 9th in the league. The Red Sox’s overall team batting average stands at .261 along with an OBP of .327.

Bobby Dalbec has been a key offensive contributor for the Red Sox over their last five games, batting .416 and leading the team in hits. This season, he’s hitting .308 with one RBI.