The Chicago White Sox and Toronto Blue Jays continue their four-game series at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Wednesday, August 25, as the third contest is on the schedule with the first pitch at 7:07 PM ET.

The Blue Jays beat the White Sox last Monday, 2-1, to tie their regular-season series at 2-2 (Tuesday’s clash is excluded from the preview). Chicago opened as a +103 moneyline dog to win Wednesday, while Toronto is a -113 home fave with a total of 8.5 runs on Bookmaker Sportsbook. 

The ChiSox extended their losing streak to three games

The Chicago White Sox have dropped four of their last five games, while Monday’s loss at Rogers Centre was their third in a row. The ChiSox fell to 72-54 on the season, still comfortably topping the AL Central, nine games ahead of the second-placed Cleveland Indians.

Over the last two weeks, the White Sox have scored only 53 runs through 13 games while slashing .253/.317/.397. They’ve slugged just 14 doubles and 16 home runs in that span.

During that 13-game stretch, the White Sox have registered the 10th-highest ERA in the majors (4.38). Lucas Giolito will take the mound Wednesday, and the 27-year-old righty is 1-3 over his previous six starts, sporting a 3.34 ERA and a .228 batting average against.

Giolito is 9-9 with a 3.77 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 25 starts this season, as he’s had a lot of ups and downs. Lucas has emerged victorious in two of his three career starts against Toronto, posting a 3.86 ERA across 16.1 innings of work, while the current ChiSox have a .330/.347/.387 batting line against him.

The Jays desperately need wins in sequences  

The Toronto Blue Jays improved to 65-58 on the season following a 2-1 win to the White Sox this past Monday. It was their third win in the previous ten games overall, as the Blue Jays are slowly losing the pace in the playoff race. They were four and a half games behind the bottom wild card on Tuesday, while the AL East title seems elusive.

Robbie Ray will take the hill Wednesday against the White Sox, and the 29-year-old southpaw is 9-5 with a sharp 2.79 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 24 starts this season. Ray has been outstanding over his previous five outings, tallying a 1.64 ERA through 33 innings of work while allowing a .510 OPS to his opponents.

The current White Sox are slashing .252/.262/.537 against Ray, who started in a 6-1 defeat at Chicago back in June. The lefty took a no-decision after tossing 6.1 frames of a one-run ball. He fanned 13 and surrendered just five hits to the ChiSox.

Trends:

ChiSox:

  • 1-4 in the last five games overall

Toronto:

  • 11-5 in the last 16 games at home

Chicago White Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays Pick

Frankly, this game could easily go either way, especially with both teams playing in poor form. The Blue Jays certainly need a win more than their rivals, and I’m expecting them to thrive under pressure in front of the home fans.

The White Sox are very dangerous when batting against the lefties, but they struggled mightily against Robbie Ray in June. Ray is enjoying a great season and should be ready for another tough challenge, while Lucas Giolito will have a tall task to slow down the Jays’ offense. Toronto is slashing just .244/.316/.418 over the last two weeks, but the Jays have plenty of dangerous weapons on their lineup that might explode any moment.

White Sox vs Blue Jays Pick : Blue Jays -113

Chicago White Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays Total

Both Chicago and Toronto are underperforming at the plate, so backing the under on the totals looks like a fine wager. The Blue Jays have a 4.03 ERA in the last two weeks of action, but their bullpen has registered an awful 6.91 ERA and 5.66 FIP in the previous ten days.

On the other side, the White Sox bullpen carries a 4.74 ERA and 4.09 FIP in the past ten days, so totals seem like a really tricky bet. The starting pitchers will be a key factor, and both Giolito and Ray should do a solid job. The under is 7-1-1 in the last nine encounters between the White Sox and Blue Jays.

White Sox vs Blue Jays Total : Under 8.5