Toronto Blue Jays at Chicago White Sox Expert MLB Picks 5/16/2019

Thursday, May 16, 2019

Guaranteed Rate Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Marcus Stroman vs. Dylan Covey

Guaranteed Rate Field is the venue where Tim Anderson and the Chicago White Sox (19-22, 3rd in AL Central) will play the Toronto Blue Jays (17-24, 4th in AL East) on Thursday. The Blue Jays open this game at -135 while the White Sox are coming in at +125. The O/U has been set at 9.

The Blue Jays have been a dicey bet for baseball wagerers, having gone 19-22-0 vs. the moneyline. The White Sox cover the ML 46.3% of the time, going 19-22-0. The Blue Jays have been excellent for oddsmakers as the favorite, going 6-10-0. Chicago has went 15-15-0 as the underdog, so they cover the ML 50.0% of the time.

Valuable Toronto Blue Jays Betting Trends

The Blue Jays have been an awful Over option for over/under MLB bettors, having gone 17-24-0.

The Blue Jays cover the ML 60.0% of the time as the road team, having gone 12-8-0.

Important Chicago White Sox Betting Trends

The White Sox cover the ML 30.0% of the time at Guaranteed Rate Field, going 6-14-0.

The White Sox have been a dicey Under option for over/under MLB bettors, having gone 22-18-1.

Key Toronto Blue Jays Injuries

05/14/19 3B Brandon Drury Rest is not in the starting lineup Tuesday vs San Francisco Giants
05/10/19 P Clay Buchholz Elbow has been scratched from last start, is questionable to make next start
04/21/19 P Matt Shoemaker Knee 10-day IL (04/21); is out for season
04/16/19 P Ryan Borucki Elbow 60-day IL (03/25)
04/03/19 CF Dalton Pompey Concussion 60-day IL (04/02)
03/31/19 P Clayton Richard Knee 10-day IL (03/31)
03/28/19 P David Phelps Elbow 10-day IL (03/25)
03/25/19 2B Devon Travis Knee 60-day IL (03/25)

Key Chicago White Sox Injuries

05/14/19 CF Leury Garcia Back is questionable Thursday vs Toronto Blue Jays
05/14/19 P Manny Banuelos Shoulder left last game, is questionable for next start
05/02/19 P Carlos Rodon Elbow 10-day IL (05/02)
04/28/19 P Nate Jones Elbow 60-day IL (04/27)
04/28/19 LF Eloy Jimenez Ankle 10-day IL (04/27)
03/27/19 CF Jon Jay Hip 60-day IL (03/25)
03/27/19 P Michael Kopech Arm is out indefinitely

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Blue Jays have a 17-24 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Marcus Stroman has a 1-6 record with an earned run average of 3.12 and a WHIP of 1.29 this season. He has 45 strikeouts over his 52 innings pitched and he's given up 49 hits. He's allowed 8.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.16. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.33 and they have given up 119 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .197 against the bullpen and they've struck out 174 hitters and walked 67 batters. As a team, Toronto allows 7.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 3.9. The Blue Jays pitchers collectively have given up 315 base hits and 159 earned runs. They have allowed 47 home runs this season, ranking them 23rd in the league. Toronto as a pitching staff has walked 155 batters and struck out 358. They have walked 3.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.28 and their FIP as a unit is 4.20.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Toronto is hitting .220, good for 28th in the league. The Blue Jays hold a .363 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .287, which is good for 28th in baseball. They rank 27th in MLB with 7.3 hits per game. Randal Grichuk is hitting .250 with an on-base percentage of .308. He has 39 hits this season in 156 at bats with 18 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .455 and an OPS+ of 106. Freddy Galvis is hitting .274 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .298. He has totaled 40 hits and he has driven in 15 men in 146 at bats. His OPS+ is 99 while his slugging percentage is at .438. The Blue Jays have 299 hits, including 64 doubles and 40 home runs. Toronto has walked 119 times so far this season and they have struck out 392 times as a unit. They have left 244 men on base and have a team OPS of .650. They score 3.61 runs per contest and have scored a total of 148 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 19-22 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 5.91, Dylan Covey has a 0-2 record and a 1.88 WHIP. He has 5 strikeouts over the 10.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 10 hits. He's allowing 8.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 7.42. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.08 and they have given up 127 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .231 against the White Sox bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 143 batters and walked 75 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 9.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 9 batters per nine innings. They are 28th in the league in team earned run average at 5.14. The White Sox pitchers as a team have surrendered 364 base knocks and 202 earned runs this season. They have given up 61 home runs this year, which ranks 6th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 169 hitters and struck out 352 batters. They give up a walk 4.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.51 while their FIP as a staff is 4.89.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .254, good for 9th in the league. The White Sox hold a .416 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318, which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 10th in MLB with 8.7 hits per contest. Tim Anderson comes into this matchup batting .320 with an OBP of .350. He has 48 hits this year along with 24 RBI in 150 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .513 with an OPS+ of 132. Yoan Moncada is hitting .289 this season and he has an OBP of .349. He has collected 46 hits in 159 at bats while driving in 28 runs. He has an OPS+ of 135 and a slugging percentage of .528. The White Sox as a unit have 355 base hits, including 66 doubles and 52 homers. Chicago has walked 115 times this year and they have struck out on 398 occasions. They have had 282 men left on base and have an OPS of .734. They have scored 4.56 runs per game and totaled 187 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Blue Jays/White Sox MLB game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the White Sox +125

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