White Sox And Tigers Have No Chance Against These Starters

White Sox vs. Tigers, 6:40 ET

Friday is one of the days that brings us a lot of joy. A lot of people get paid on Friday. It typically is the start of the weekend for most people. That first beer on a Friday night tastes better than almost any other beer of the weekend. It is just a relief that we've gotten here. I'm kind of at that point as this week hasn't been the best sports betting week for me - specifically in baseball. I'm doing fine in the WNBA, but the plays are few and far between. On this Friday we kick off an AL Central matchup between the White Sox and the Tigers. 

The White Sox are the worst team in baseball. Seriously, almost all of the stats support this idea and the record shows that as well. They currently have 20 wins on the year and have won two games in a row just four times this season. They've had a losing streak of 14 games at one point this season, and they lost 13 of 14 games at another point in the year. After their game on April 25th, they were just 3-22. Even going 17-33 since that point would still make them one of the worst teams in baseball. For the season, the White Sox are hitting just .219 as a team and have scored 232 runs scored for the year which puts them at just over three runs scored per game. They have to be looking forward to the draft next year and the trade deadline. One of their few trade chips is today's starter Erick Fedde. For the season, Fedde has been one of the few bright spots on the team. He has a 5-1 record and a 3.09 ERA for the season with a 1.17 WHIP.  Fedde has made 15 starts this season, and seven of them have been quality starts. He has only made three starts where he has allowed over four earned runs. The Tigers hitters have done well against Fedde in the past, going 9-for-20 against him. His first start of the season was against the Tigers, and he went 4.2 innings and allowed five hits, two of which were solo homers and accounted for the runs he allowed in the game. 

Apr 17, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Erick Fedde (20) throws the ball in the first inning during game two of a double header against the Kansas City Royals at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Melissa Tamez-USA TODAY Sports

While the White Sox are the worst team in baseball, the Tigers are probably going to end up in the same exact spot as the White Sox this season. For a little while, it looked like they could, or would make the playoffs. Right now, they are slipping further under .500 for the season. However, they are also 6.5 games back in the Wild Card race. That isn't an insurmountable amount of games to make up right now, but the problem is they have five other teams ahead of them. The hitting has been pretty much the same the entire season, but the pitching staff has gotten a bit less dominant and the ERA as a team has been increasing. They still have a nice 1.21 WHIP, and even the 3.86 ERA is strong, but they are allowing a .241 opponent batting average. One pitcher who has been rather consistent for the Tigers this season is Jack Flaherty. For the season, he is 4-4 with a 3.01 ERA, 100 strikeouts, and a 0.95 WHIP. All of those numbers (aside from the wins) are in the top-20 of the league. His WHIP and strikeouts are top-10. It will be interesting to see if they keep him at the deadline and try to make a push for the playoffs, or if they trade him away to a true contender and build for next year. He went six innings and allowed just one solo homer in his only start against the Tigers. 

We have two good pitchers and two bad offenses in this game. I'm not sure if there is any way to play this game other than taking the under. If I had to pick a winner, I suppose I would lean toward the Tigers, considering they were off and the Sox weren't. I also like the Tigers being at home. However, I'm not overcomplicating things. I'm going to take the under for the game and hope we can continue to rely on both of these pitchers as they've been good this season. 

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024