Sunday night baseball brings the American League showdown from Minute Maid Park in Houston with the first pitch at 7:00 PM ET, so we have prepared the best White Sox vs. Astros betting pick and odds. 

Chicago and Houston wrap up their three-game set in Texas, and the hosts open as -155 moneyline favorites on BetOnline Sportsbook. The Astros won Friday’s opener 13-3, while the White Sox had a shocking 7-0 lead in Game 2 at the time of writing.  

The White Sox continue to battle through injuries                                    

The Chicago White Sox suffered a heavy loss at Minute Maid Park this past Friday. Lucas Giolito was shelled for eight earned runs across five-plus innings of work, and the Chi Sox surrendered a whopping ten runs in the bottom of the sixth. 

Chicago is still missing Tim Anderson (groin), Yasmani Grandal (back), and Eloy Jimenez (hamstring). Yoan Moncada has just suffered a hamstring injury, while relievers Aaron Bummer and Liam Hendriks are on the IL, too. 

The 30-32 White Sox were sitting at the third spot in the AL Central on Saturday, four games behind the Cleveland Guardians and five off the Minnesota Twins. Michael Kopech will take the mound Sunday in Houston, and the 26-year-old flamethrowing righty holds a 2-2 record, 1.92 ERA, and 0.93 WHIP in 11 starts (51.2 innings) this season.  

The Astros own the AL West  

With four teams below a .500-mark in the AL West, the Houston Astros are cruising through the 2022 MLB season. They improved to 40-24 following that 13-3 thrashing of the White Sox this past Friday. The Astros had 12 hits on the night and clubbed three dingers in a ten-run sixth frame. 

In the last couple of weeks, Houston has recorded a solid .256/.340/.444 slash line to go with a 3.87 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and .227 opposing batting average. Cristian Javier will get the ball Sunday, and the 25-year-old righty is 3-3 with a 3.20 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 63/19 K/BB ratio in eight starts and four relief appearances (50.2 innings) this season. 

Javier has been terrific in four of his previous five starts. He gave up five earned runs across 3.2 innings in a 7-4 defeat to the Seattle Mariners on June 6 but bounced back with six innings of a two-run ball in a no-decision against the Texas Rangers last Monday. 

Trends:

Chi Sox: 

  • 3-13 in the last 16 road games against Houston  
  • 3-6 in Michael Kopech’s last nine starts 

Houston:

  • 9-4 in the last 13 games against the White Sox   
  • 17-4 in the last 21 home games against the AL Central 

Chicago White Sox vs. Houston Astros Pick 

Last Sunday, Michael Kopech exited after getting just two outs due to discomfort in his right knee. He’s tossed a couple of bullpen sessions since then and will be ready to face the Astros, who own a 112 OPS+ against the right-handed pitchers in 2022. 

On the other side, the White Sox hold a miserable 84 OPS+ against the righties. Cristian Javier is a bit of a wild card, but I’m backing the Astros to prevail over Chicago in this matchup. 

Pick: Take Houston Astros at -155                            

The Total:

In the last ten days, the Astros’ bullpen has thrown 25.1 innings and recorded a sharp 2.49 ERA, 2.54 FIP, and .246 BABIP. The White Sox’s bullpen has accounted for a pedestrian 5.18 ERA and 4.64 FIP in that span. 

If both starting pitchers do a solid job, we shouldn’t see a high-scoring affair. I don’t trust the White Sox when they take on a righty, so I lean toward the under on the totals. 

Pick: Go under 8.0 runs at -115