Blue Jays vs White Sox Predictions, Picks, Odds Game 2: ChiSox Draw First Blood in Second Game

The Toronto Blue Jays and the Chicago White Sox will close out their series with Game 2 of their doubleheader at Guaranteed Rate Field on Thursday night.

The Blue Jays will be the biggest favorites they have been all series in the finale, as veteran southpaw Yusei Kikuchi toes the rubber against 29-year-old rookie Jesse Scholtens.

Can the Blue Jays finish off this series in style, or will the White Sox respond as home underdogs? I break down the MLB odds and bring you my best bet, plus a same-game parlay, in our MLB picks and predictions for Blue Jays vs. White Sox on July 6.

Blue Jays vs White Sox odds

Blue Jays vs White Sox predictions

The Toronto Blue Jays are sizeable favorites in Game 2 of this doubleheader mainly because they are sending a Major League pitcher to the mound, albeit a pretty average one in Yusei Kikuchi. But he has the advantage of having multiple big-league seasons under his belt.

That’s not something Jesse Scholtens can say. Scholtens is a 29-year-old rookie who has made a handful of long relief appearances and one career start. 

Unfortunately, the second game of doubleheaders can be a little unpredictable. Laying a price north of -150 with Kikuchi, who has been solid at times this season but is also good for the occasional implosion, is risky. His 21 home runs allowed ranks second only to Lance Lynn of the White Sox.

So, for a game that could have many twists and turns when you consider all the lineup changes and fatigue of a doubleheader, we may as well look at a nice plus-money play here. For that, I’m looking at the White Sox to score first. 

The Blue Jays are obviously the favorites to score first, as they’ll hit first and have as solid of a 1-2-3 in baseball as there is in George Springer, Bo Bichette, and, geez. It’s been Brandon Belt, not Vladimir Guerrero Jr. lately, hasn’t it? 

But much has been made of the Blue Jays’ struggles to cash in runners. They rank 25th in batting average with runners in scoring position. On top of that, Toronto also ranks 19th in the MLB in first-inning scoring when on the road this season.

And Scholten's numbers have been solid. While he doesn’t strike out a lot of guys, he does a good job of creating soft contact, to the point where the right-hander has got a 3.41 expected ERA and is limiting opponents to a .230 expected batting average over 27 1/3 MLB innings this year. And he has the advantage of the Blue Jays never seeing him before.

So, if the White Sox can get through a scoreless top of the first, I like their chances to put the first run on the board here. Mostly because Luis Robert Jr. has gone nuclear lately.

Robert’s 25 home runs are third in the MLB, and he has been on fire since the start of June. Over his last 27 games, he is hitting .327 with a 1.137 OPS and 12 dingers. He is also crushing southpaws for a .358 average and a 1.151 OPS.

Overall, the White Sox have fared a little better against lefties, ranking 17th in wRC+, and Kikuchi ranks in the 12th percentile in opponent expected slugging percentage. Robert can power the home team to an early lead here.

My best bet: White Sox to score first (+162 at SIA)

Blue Jays vs White Sox same-game parlay

White Sox to score first

Run scored in bottom of first inning

Blue Jays moneyline

+850 at bet365

With this being the second game of a doubleheader, there aren’t too many fun options available for a same-game parlay. But I’ve still whipped something together, starting of course with the White Sox to score first. 

But let’s also say that score happens in the bottom of the first inning. Kikuchi has been absolutely average in the first inning this season, pitching to a 4.24 ERA there. 

However, overall, I think the Blue Jays are in a better position in terms of the pitching staff to handle tonight’s doubleheader. And their deeper lineup will come through in the end, so while I don’t love them on the moneyline at more than -150, I’ll happily add them to come back and win, giving this SGP a nice +850 payout.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Blue Jays vs White Sox moneyline and Over/Under analysis

As noted above, Game 2 of tonight’s doubleheader will be the most the Blue Jays are favored by in this series thanks to the starting pitching matchup. They opened in the -125 range and are now as high as -155 at some books.

I’ve already stated that Kikuchi is average. He’s got a 4.70 expected ERA and ranks in the 59th percentile in strikeout rate. His biggest improvement this year over last is that he has basically cut his walks in half. So, while he gives up a lot of long balls, they generally are solo shots and not two-and-three run dingers.

And while the White Sox are a little better vs. lefties, 18th in OPS and 17th in wRC+ with the 11th-highest strikeout rate isn’t a lot to write home about.

Meanwhile, being a 29-year-old rookie isn’t normally a good thing. And the Jays, despite their struggles to cash in runners, still rank fifth in batting average, seventh in OPS, and fifth in wRC+ vs. right-handed pitchers. 

Toronto also has an edge when it comes to the bullpens. Blue Jays relievers rank sixth in xFIP and fifth in strikeouts per nine innings, while the White Sox rank 17th and 12th, respectively, in those categories. They are also without Liam Hendricks once again. I would like the Blue Jays on the moneyline if you can still find them in the -130 range.

The total for this one is a lofty 9.5 and honestly, I don’t have much of a feel for it. Kikuchi could get rocked, or he could give up one run through five with a bunch of strikeouts. Same story for the Jays. They should take advantage of an inexperienced starter, but they have a tendency to make guys like this look like Nolan Ryan at times. So, I’m staying away from the total here.

Trend to know

The Blue Jays are 5-2 in their last seven second games of a double-header. Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. White Sox

Blue Jays vs White Sox game info

Starting pitchers

Yusei Kikuchi (7-3, 4.08 ERA): Kikuchi has given the Blue Jays much-needed quality innings this year. However, he just saw a streak of six consecutive starts of him allowing two earned runs or fewer come to an end his last time out.

Jesse Scholtens (1-2, 2.96 ERA): Scholtens is a 29-year-old rookie who has split his time between the White Sox and Triple-A Charlotte. He's been effective so far in the big leagues and generally uses a fastball-slider combination to get batters out.

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