The MLB betting action goes on Thursday, May 12, with a small eight-game card, so we are taking a closer look at the marquee American League matchup at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago to get you the best Yankees vs. White Sox betting pick and odds. 

New York meets Chicago for the first time this season, opening a four-game set in Illinois. According to BetOnline Sportsbook, the White Sox are -128 moneyline favorites with a total of 8.0 runs, while the Yankees sit at +118 odds. 

The red-hot Yanks continue to impress                          

The New York Yankees improved to 22-8 on the season following a 5-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Wednesday matinee at Yankee Stadium. Gleyber Torres drove in all the Yankees’ runs; Jameson Taillon tossed 5.1 innings of a two-run ball, while Aroldis Chapman recorded his eighth save of the season. 

The Yanks have won 15 of their previous 17 contests at any location. They are slashing only .200/.289/.351 in May, but the Yankees’ pitching staff continues to torture its opponents, posting a sparkly 2.36 ERA and 1.04 WHIP over the previous 11 days. 

Luis Gil will toe the slab Thursday in Chicago and make his season debut. The 23-year-old right-hander has struggled through his five starts in Triple-A this term, tallying a terrible 9.53 ERA and 1.76 WHIP. Gil heavily leans on a 4-seam fastball and slider. He’s 1-1 with a 3.07 ERA, 4.40 FIP, and 1.33 WHIP in six major-league starts and 29.1 innings of work. 

The White Sox hope to get things going at the plate           

The Chicago White Sox are off to an ice-cold start at the plate. They own the fifth-lowest scoring offense in the majors, tallying 3.52 runs per contest. Furthermore, the Chi Sox rank 22nd in batting average (.225) and 24th in both OPS (.637) and wOBA (.286). 

Chicago is coming off a 4-1 victory to the Cleveland Guardians this past Tuesday. The White Sox have won seven of their previous eight games overall thanks to their pitching staff. In the last 11 days of action, the Chi Sox have registered a shiny 2.14 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and .207 batting average against. 

Vince Velasquez will get the starting call Thursday, and the 29-year-old righty is 2-2 with a serviceable 3.97 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in five starts and 22.2 frames of work in 2022. He was projected to take the mound Wednesday, but the closing contest of a three-game home set against Cleveland was postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the visiting team. 

Trends:

NY Yankees: 

  • 15-2 in the last 17 games overall 
  • 5-1 in the last six games on the road 
  • 8-2 in the last ten games against the American League    

Chi Sox:

  • 1-7 in the last eight games against the Yankees 

New York Yankees vs. Chicago White Sox Pick 

Both Yankees and White Sox lean on their pitching, but with Luis Gil and Vince Velasquez on the mound, the bullpens should make the difference. New York’s relievers sport a 2.38 ERA and 2.93 FIP and over the last ten days, they’ve registered a 1.59 ERA and 2.17 FIP. On the other side, the White Sox’s bullpen owns a 3.45 ERA and 3.53 FIP. It has recorded a 2.45 ERA and 3.27 FIP in the last ten days. 

The Yankees’ offense is arguably in a better form than the White Sox, so I’m backing the visitors to grab a win. It’s a tough wager given Luis Gil’s performance in Triple-A, but it’s hard to trust Vince Velasquez either. 

Pick: Take New York Yankees at +118                       

The Total:

The White Sox have been awful against the right-handed starting pitchers in 2022, tallying a .214/.270/.329 triple-slash. I’m expecting them to improve these numbers when they meet Luis Gil, while the Yankees should fare well against Vince Velasquez. 

Of course, both bullpens might have another great day in the office, but if the batters find the right rhythm early in the game, we could easily see a high-scoring affair. 

Pick: Go over 8.0 runs at -110