Now that New York and Chicago have had their fun at the Field of Dreams, it’s time for the Yankees and White Sox to get down to business in one of the key matchups on Saturday’s baseball betting card.
Saturday, August 14, 2021 – 07:10 PM EDT at Guaranteed Rate Field
One takeaway from Thursday’s game between New York and Chicago is the little diamond in Dyersville, Iowa is not what you’d call pitcher-friendly. The White Sox walked off the 9-8 final with the eighth homer of the contest, all but one of the 17 plate crossings resulting from a deep fly into the cornfield. The result easily made it past a 10-run total, the fifth time in the last six meetings with Chicago playing as the home team for the score to skip past the marks.
Chicago will truly play in front of a home crowd on Saturday when Dylan Cease (9-6, 3.99) takes his turn in the White Sox rotation. New York sends Jameson Taillon (7-4, 3.82) to the South Side bump, and once the MLB betting odds are released, we should see Chicago chalked and 9½ or thereabouts for the total.
New York’s setback on Thursday cost the Yankees a game to Tampa Bay in the AL East race, though they stayed two-games behind Boston for the second American League wild card entry. Aaron Judge delighted the Field of Dreams crowd with two home runs on Thursday, leaving the New York slugger hitting .294 with four bombs for the month.
Also enjoying August, Taillon is pitching to a 1.46 ERA in his first two starts of the month and the Yankees have won his last five trips to the mound. He didn’t factor into the decision this past Monday in Kansas City where Taillon allowed one unearned run in his six frames. New York struggled to put the Royals away, however, before earning an 8-6 win in 11 innings as a -165 favorite at BetOnline.
Taillon also no-decisioned when they faced the White Sox at Yankee Stadium in May, the 29-year-old working five and posting zeroes on the Chicago side of the scoreboard. Judge walked off that 5-4 New York win with a walk. Saturday will be Taillon’s first career start at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Chicago saw its lead in the AL Central expand to 11½ after Tim Anderson’s winning blast on Thursday. It provided a much-needed lift after the White Sox dropped the final two games in Minnesota earlier this week, Tony La Russa hoping it gives his club momentum with series against Oakland, Tampa Bay and Toronto following this weekend against the Yankees.
Taking the mound for the 24th time this season, Cease is in search of his third consecutive win while the White Sox look for their fourth-straight behind the 25-year-old. Cease wasn’t at his best last Sunday at Wrigley against the Cubs, allowing three runs in five innings. His lineup gave him plenty of support, however, in a 9-3 triumph as -180 chalk at the best online betting sites. He’s also whiffed 21 batters over his last 11 innings, leaving Cease tied for ninth in the majors with 159 Ks.
Cease was knocked around by the Yankees when the clubs played in New York in late May, allowing five runs before being relieved in the fifth. That was his first career start against the Yankees, and in line with some of the struggles, Cease has endured away from Chicago. The White Sox are 9-2 when he starts at home, Cease sporting a 2.20 ERA at Guaranteed Rate Field.
It’s unclear if the same umpire crew that worked the game in Iowa will continue with the series as it shifts to Chicago, but Laz Diaz would be in line to have the dish on Saturday if that is the case. The lieutenant on Jeff Nelson’s crew, Diaz stands 10-8-1 O/U/P as he prepares for his 20th plate assignment.
Bettors will want to get an update on the weather before making their wagers, but all signs point to Mother Nature providing a nice evening. The forecast 30+ hours in advance of the first pitch calls for clear skies, temps in the mid-70s and an 8-10 mph NE breeze (left to right).
New York has been playing well, and Taillon has been pitching well. I’ll be happy to go with the underdog visitors for my free MLB pick.
Free MLB Pick: Yankees (+125) with 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.