The Houston Astros took last night’s second-half opener against the Chicago White Sox by a 7-1 final, pushing their record against the Pale Hose to 5-0 SU on the year.
Chicago will have to do better than three hits Saturday. Facing Jake Odorizzi may seem like a good bounce-back spot, but the Houston starter has allowed just three earned runs and 15 hits over his last 26 innings.
Here are our free picks and predictions for Houston Astros vs Chicago White Sox for Saturday, July 17.
Astros vs White Sox game info
• Location: Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago, IL
• Date: Saturday, July 17, 2021
• Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
• TV: NBCSCH, ATT SportsNet-SW
Astros vs White Sox odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Compare MLB odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
MLB sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonThis moneyline opened a -110 pick 'em Friday night at PointsBet USA, then saw both the White Sox and Astros spend time as -115 favorites. As of 4:45 p.m. ET, Chicago is -115 while taking 52 percent of bets and 70 percent of dollars. The total opened at 8.5 flat (-110) and is now 9 (Under -115), with 70 percent of bets/82 percent of money on the Over.
Check out the full line movement for this gameAstros vs White Sox betting preview
Starting pitchers
Jake Odorizzi (3-4, 3.61 ERA): The former Twins starter began his Astros career by posting a 7.16 ERA in his first five starts. Since then, the right-hander owns a 1.74 ERA and has allowed just three runs across his last five outings. A little run support could go a long way as the Astros are 4-4 SU in Odorizzi’s last eight starts.
Lucas Giolito (7-6, 4.15 ERA): Lucas Giolito sits sixth in the American League with 125 punchouts over 104 innings of work. However, he didn’t wrap up the first half on a good note, as he surrendered 11 runs over his final three outings versus the Twins and the light-hitting Tigers and Orioles. The White Sox are 9-9 SU in Giolito's starts this season.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Astros: Alex Bregman 3B (out)
White Sox: Jake Lamb 3B (out), Eloy Jiminez OF (out), Yasmani Grandal C (out), Luis Robert CF (out)
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Astros are 17-5 in the last 22 meetings. Find more MLB betting trends for Astros vs. White Sox.
Moneyline pick
The White Sox came out hot last night, jumping out to an early 1-0 lead after back-to-back lead-off hits in the first. It all went downhill after that, as the team managed just one more hit over its next 27 outs. Chicago also only drew two walks while striking out 12 times. Even the Astros’ B-bullpen shut things down in the final two innings. Houston has now outscored the White Sox 34 to 9 over five wins this season.
Chicago has struggled to score against the Astros this year, and facing Jake Odorizzi might not be the remedy for success. Over the right-hander’s last 26 innings, he’s given up just three earned runs on 15 hits and four walks. Zero of those hits have been of the four-bag variety. If Odorizzi carries his first-half form into Saturday, the White Sox could struggle to get traffic on the bases for a second straight night.
The Astros got Carlos Correa back in the lineup after the SS missed the final two games of the first half. He has some rust to knock off after an 0-for-5 showing last night, but the top of the order picked him up, going 6 for 13 with four runs and a homer in the one-through-three spots. Houston has the best road offense in the league at 5.80 runs per game.
Tasked with stopping Houston from winning its sixth straight game this season against Chicago is starter Lucas Giolito. The righty strikes out nearly one-third of the batters he faces but with the Astros being the most disciplined swinging team in baseball (7.43 strikeouts/game) the books have Giolito’s K prop set at 5.5. The Chicago starter will have to get his outs on balls in play, and that is not a good thing for the White Sox, as opposing teams have launched 18 homers off Giolito this year while right-handed hitters have a .810 OPS against him.
Giolito’s splits favor him at home, but opponents are still posting a .440 SLG percentage against the righty at Guaranteed Rate Field. He is 3-4 at home this year and the White Sox are 4-5 SU in his nine home starts.
PREDICTION: Houston ML (-115)
Over/Under pick
The Under hung on for the victory last night as both bullpens shut it down over the final two frames, which is a great sign for tonight’s Under. The Astros bullpen surrendered just a single hit in two innings while three of the four Chicago relievers threw up donuts as well. We’re expecting a closer game tonight, meaning we could easily see both teams’ A-bullpens who didn’t see much action in the opener.
Yesterday showed us that even with one dominant starter, the Under is still live. Lance McCullers mowed down the Chicago bats last night with 10 Ks and two hits over seven innings. Today’s starter, Odorizzi, comes into the second half in even better form than McCullers and will be looking to post a sub-2.50 ERA for the fourth straight month. The Houston starter doesn’t give up home runs — just two over his last 44 innings — and now faces a Chicago lineup that went 0 for 22 yesterday in the three-through-nine spots in the order.
Houston finished with seven runs last night, but that number could have easily been smaller. They scored two in the third with two out and nobody on, then potted four more two-out runs in the seventh. All seven runs were scored with two out.
In the five games that Houston has taken from Chicago this year, the bullpen has been a big factor, even though the Astros’ starters are averaging 6 2-3 innings. The Houston relievers have thrown 11 innings in this year’s meetings and have yet to allow a run while also giving up just four hits and striking out 17.
We aren’t still entirely convinced that this Houston offense is back to where it was and if they aren’t doing all the scoring, we feel this Over has no chance.
PREDICTION: Under 8.5 (+100)
Astros vs White Sox betting card
- Houston ML (-115)
- Under 8.5 (+100)
Picks made on 7/17/2021 at 6:45 a.m. ET
Did you know that if you parlayed today’s MLB Astros vs. White Sox picks, you could win $27.39 on a $10 bet?
Use our MLB parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
Where can I bet on MLB odds?
You can bet on MLB odds at every online and casino sportsbook, including MLB moneylines, runlines, Over/Under totals, and a ton of MLB prop odds. Head over to our best-suggested sportsbooks for the top spots to bet on MLB odds in your area.
