Light five-game schedule around the majors Monday and the lone national TV matchup is from the AL Central as the Chicago White Sox visit the Minnesota Twins, a team the Sox have dominated this year. Which way to lean at BMR’s top-rated books? Find out with our MLB picks.
Monday, August 9, 2021 – 08:00 PM EDT at Target Field
ESPN has the national telecast of this matchup between the runaway AL Central-leading White Sox and the last-place and massively disappointing Twins. So disappointing that Manager Rocco Baldelli might be fired this offseason. Minnesota sold off two of its best pieces before the Trade Deadline in DH Nelson Cruz (Rays) and ace pitcher Jose Berrios (Blue Jays). That Minnesota dealt Cruz was smart because he’s set for free agency, but Berrios isn’t until after 2022.
This already wraps up the season series between the teams. Chicago leads 12-4 – it will win season series for the first time since 2016 – and is 4-2 in the Twin Cities. Overall, the White Sox are winning games in the series by an average score of 6.8-4.1.
Yoan Moncada is hitting .340 vs. Twins pitching two homers and nine RBIs. Jose Abreu is at .327 with five homers and five RBIs. Tim Anderson .307 with two homers and six RBIs. Andrew Vaughn .298 with two dingers and nine RBIs. Catcher Yasmani Grandal has five homers off Twins pitching but is currently out injured. Overall, the Sox are hitting .284 with 27 homers vs. Minnesota in those 16 games.
Meanwhile, Minnesota is hitting a collective .236 with 23 long balls vs. the White Sox. Cruz had four homers and eight RBIs. Mitch Garver is 5-for-17 with two solo homers. Jorge Polanco 16-for-57 with three homers and 11 RBIs. Josh Donaldson has four homers and Miguel Sano three.
One quick note about the Sox: Maybe the most anticipated game of the regular-season is Thursday from the “Field of Dreams” site in Iowa when the White Sox host the Yankees – nationally televised on Fox. Something to keep in mind. Should be great TV and both clubs are wearing jerseys inspired by those worn in the early 20th century.
It’s also possible that outfielder Luis Robert could be activated from the injured list for this game. The 2020 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up has been out since early May with a hip injury. He was off to a hot start, batting .316 with a homer, eight RBIs and four steals in 25 games.
The White Sox ace entering this season was supposed to be right-hander Lucas Giolito, and the team tried to lock him up to a big extension this offseason but Giolito passed. Perhaps the 27-year-old, who has two arbitration years left, should have taken it. He hasn’t been bad at 8-8 with a 3.95 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 145 strikeouts in 22 starts, but not as good as he was the past two years.
Giolito comes off a huge home upset loss to the Royals last Wednesday at north of -200 on the MLB odds as he allowed six runs and eight hits over four innings. Kansas City hit three homers off Giolito, and that has been an issue as he has surrendered 22 on the season. He also can still be a bit wild with 39 walks.
This year, Giolito is 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA in two starts vs. the Twins, who are hitting only .178 off him. The only Twin with much career success off him has been Max Kepler, who is 8-for-29 with three homers and a triple. Jorge Polanco is just 3-for-22 off him with seven Ks. Miguel Sano 5-for-27 with 11 strikeouts.
In his career, Giolito is 6-7 with a 4.73 ERA, 78 strikeouts and .215 opponents’ average in 15 career starts vs. the Twins (4-2 with a 3.89 ERA at Target Field). Chicago is 1-5 on the MLB odds in its past six Monday games.
This starts a nine-game homestand for the Twins, their longest remaining of the season – not that they have anything to play for. It benefits them to lose as much as possible and get the highest draft pick possible in 2022. Third baseman Josh Donaldson has not started the past two games with what is thought to be hamstring injury so monitor that.
Minnesota also has three key players on the inured list in center fielder Byron Buxton, whom the team did try to trade (too bad he has been so injured this year as Buxton has been terrific when on the field), first baseman/outfielder Alex Kiriloff and closer Taylor Rogers. Former White Sox right-hander Alex Colome has taken over the closing role. Not clear if any of those three injured guys will return this year. No point in rushing them.
Rookie left-hander Charlie Barnes is expected to make his third big-league start for the Twins. He was drafted in the fourth round in the 2017 draft by Minnesota and isn’t a top prospect. He relies primarily on finesse and pinpoint location rather than overpowering speed because Barnes’ fastball tops out only around 88-90 mph.
At Triple-A this year, he was 5-3 with a 4.24 ERA. Barnes is 0-2 with a 6.23 ERA in the Show, yet to last five full innings in starts at Detroit and Cincinnati – so this will be his home debut. The White Sox obviously haven’t seen him.
Minnesota is 1-4 on the MLB odds in its past five at home.
MLB pick: White Sox Moneyline (-186) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.