Chicago White Sox vs Houston Astros Betting Pick & Prediction 8/18/24

From Minute Maid Park in Houston, we have the White Sox and Astros facing off in an AL matchup. The Astros are the heavy favorite on the money line, with their odds sitting at -400 compared to the White Sox at +320. The over/under line is at 8 runs.

First pitch for Sunday’s matchup is set for 2:10 PM ET. Framber Valdez is starting for the Astros, while the White Sox are going with Ky Bush. Chicago is 30-94 this season, while the Astros are leading the AL West with a record of 66-56.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX VS HOUSTON ASTROS BETTING PICK

The Pick: OVER 8 Runs

This game will be played at Minute Maid Park at 2:10 ET on Sunday, August 18th.

HOW TO BET THE WHITE SOX VS ASTROS:

• We have the Astros winning by a score of 6 to 5
• However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the White Sox to cover
• As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 11 runs and like the over

Houston cruised to an easy 6-1 win over the White Sox in the most recent game of this series. The Astros had a huge 3rd inning, scoring all six of their runs. As for the White Sox, they scored their only run in the 1st. Heading into the game, the Astros were favored at -376 on the money line.

This game featured a starting pitching matchup between Hunter Brown for the Astros and Chris Flexen for the White Sox. Brown went seven innings and gave up just one run, earning a win in the game. Flexen lasted just four innings and gave up four runs, taking the loss.

At the plate, Jose Altuve, Jake Meyers, and Shay Whitcomb each had two hits and an RBI for the Astros. Yordan Alvarez also had a two-hit game and drove in a run. Victor Caratini went 2/4 with an RBI for Houston.

White Sox Records & Stats

With a record of 30-94, the White Sox are 5th in the AL Central and trail the Guardians by 42.5 games for the division lead. So far, they have really struggled against other AL Central teams, going 8-34. Chicago has dropped six straight series and has an overall series record of 6-32-2 this year.

At home, the White Sox are just 18-44 and have gone 12-50 on the road. This season, they are only 5-3 as the favorite but have really struggled as the underdog, going 25-91. When playing during the day, the White Sox are 11-39 and are 19-55 in night games. Chicago is just 3-7 over their last 10 games and lost the series opener vs. the Astros.

When the White Sox win, they do so by an average of 3.2 runs per game, but when they lose, they lose by an average of 3.7 runs per game. Their run line record is 53-71, and they are 26-36 on the run line on the road. They are 5-3 on the run line as the favorite, and 48-68 as the underdog.

The Chicago White Sox are on the road today against the Houston Astros. The O/U line is set at 8 runs, which is right around their combined run average of 8.3 runs per game. The White Sox have an O/U record of 56-63 on the season, and when the line is set at 8 runs, they are 10-10-2. Overall, 49.2% of their games have had O/U lines set at over 8 runs, while 33.1% have been set at under 8 runs.

Ky Bush will be making his 3rd start of the season for the White Sox, and he will be on the road to face the Astros. So far, Bush has a loss and a no-decision in his first two outings. He went 4 innings in his first start, giving up 3 runs, and then went 4 2/3 in his last start, allowing 2 earned runs.

So far this season, the White Sox offense has been one of the worst in the league, averaging just 3.1 runs per game, which is dead last in the league. They have also been one of the worst home run-hitting teams in the league and have the worst team on-base percentage in the league. As a team, they are batting just .220.

Andrew Vaughn and Luis Robert Jr. come into the game as the White Sox’s top home run hitters, but both players are batting just .244 and .212, respectively. Vaughn’s 52 RBIs are the best mark on the team, and Robert Jr. is 4th on the team with 31 RBIs. Andrew Benintendi has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 9/33 in his last eight games with three homers.

Astros Records & Stats

Houston is 66-56 overall and leads the AL West by four games over the Mariners. The Astros have gone 21-18 against other teams in the AL West. They have been really good at home, going 33-27, and they are also above .500 on the road at 33-29 this year.

The Astros have won three straight series, and their overall series record is 22-16-1 this year. They have also won three straight series on the road. As the favorite, the Astros are 50-40 this year, and they are an even 16-16 as the underdog. Houston has been really good lately, going 9-1 over their last 10 games.

When the Astros win, they win by an average of 3.7 runs per game, which is why they are 41-49 against the run line as the favorite. Their overall run line record is 62-60, and they are 28-32 at home. Their average run margin is +0.6 runs per game, and they are 34-28 against the run line on the road.

Today’s over/under line for the Houston Astros’ game against the Chicago White Sox is set at 8 runs. The Astros have an over/under record of 48-70 this season, with an average over/under line of 9 runs per game. When the line is set at 8 runs, their over/under record is 7-11-2. The combined run average in their games this season is 8.7 runs per game. The over/under line has been set at 8 runs for 26 of their games this season, which accounts for 21.3% of their games.

Framber Valdez has been pitching well for the Astros, as he has won his last four starts. Most recently, he faced the Rays and picked up the win, going 5 2/3 innings and giving up just one earned run. Looking back over his last four starts, he has only given up more than two earned runs once. Valdez’s record for the season is 12-5, and his ERA is 3.38. Opponents are batting .233 off the left-hander this season. Valdez has one complete game and 12 quality starts this year. Per nine innings, he is averaging 8.4 strikeouts and 2.89 walks.

Heading into today’s game, the Astros are one of the top home run-hitting teams in the league, and they have a team batting average of .261, which is the 3rd best mark in the MLB. So far, they are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is the 12th best mark in the league. One area where they have struggled a bit is in the walk department, as they are just 25th in the league in walks.

Yordan Alvarez and Yainer Diaz have been the Astros’ top power threats this season, with Alvarez leading the team with 25 homers and Diaz not far behind at 12. Diaz also has the top RBI mark on the team at 68. Over his last three games, Alex Bregman has gone 4/14 with two homers and two RBIs.