The Oakland Athletics are in a bit of a slump and suddenly are in a tight race for the American League Wild Card, dropping to a tie with the Red Sox for the second spot after losing their fourth game in a row.
Oakland will try to get back on track and salvage their series with the Chicago White Sox when they close out the four-game set with a matinee matchup. Can the A’s rebound and come through as underdogs?
Check out our free MLB betting picks and predictions for A’s vs. White Sox on Thursday, August 19, and find out.
A's vs White Sox game info
• Location: Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago, IL
• Date: Thursday, August 19, 2021
• Time: 2:10 p.m. ET
• TV: NBCSCA, NBCSCH
A's vs White Sox odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
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Check out the full line movement for this game
A's vs White Sox betting preview
Starting pitchers
Cole Irvin (8-11, 3.53 ERA): The lefty-hander has been an effective starter for the A’s this season and has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 10 of his last 12 outings, with seven of those going down as quality starts.
Dylan Cease (9-6, 4.04 ERA): Cease has also been very reliable for the White Sox lately, pitching at least five innings and allowing three earned runs or fewer in each of his last seven starts, holding his opponents to a .218 over that stretch.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
A's: Chad Pinder OF (Out).
White Sox: Adam Engel OF (Out), Yasmani Grandal C (Out), Evan Marshall RP (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Under is 7-2-1 in the last 10 meetings between the A's and White Sox. Find more MLB betting trends for A's vs. White Sox.
Moneyline pick
If the A’s don’t turn things around soon, they could be on the outside looking in when it comes to the American League wild-card race.
This series with the White Sox has pointed out Oakland's biggest flaws — mostly hitting for average against right-handed pitchers. The A’s rank 19th in batting average against righties and have scored just three runs over the first three games of this series and that could continue with Cease on the bump.
The right-hander is limiting opponents to a .228 batting average this season and has been fantastic at Guaranteed Rate Field. Cease is pitching to a 2.44 ERA and is limiting opponents to a .199 batting average in 12 home starts.
Irvin has been solid for the A’s, particularly in the second half, but five of his last nine starts have come against the Rangers and Mariners. Now he faces a White Sox team that ranks 10th in batting average and seventh in OPS when facing southpaws. Take the home team in this one.
PREDICTION: White Sox (-140)
Over/Under pick
When it comes to the total, 9.0 seems a touch too high for this matchup, particularly this series where there has been an average of just 6.7 total runs scored per game and the Under has cashed in all three matchups.
We talked about how Cease can be effective in this matchup, and while the White Sox should have the edge over Irvin, the lefty has a 2.74 ERA and is limiting opponents to a .217 batting average over his last seven starts.
With two reliable starters and two excellent bullpens, this game is a good bet to keep the Under train rolling.
PREDICTION: Under 9.0 (-110)
A's vs White Sox betting card
- White Sox (-140)
- Under 9.0 (-110)
Picks made on 8/19/2021 at 8:00 a.m. ET
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