The Boston Red Sox are doing their best to dig out of the hole they dug themselves early in the season, winners of their last six, including a 16-3 thumping of the Chicago White Sox in the opener of their series yesterday.
Meanwhile, the White Sox are still trying to find some consistency, particularly on offense, where they have scored the second-fewest runs in the American League.
Tonight, they’ll hope handing the ball to ace Lucas Giolito will be enough to overcome their offensive deficiencies. Or, do the Red Sox have value as an underdog as they look to continue their winning streak?
Find out in our free MLB picks and predictions for Red Sox vs. White Sox on Wednesday, May 25.
Red Sox vs White Sox odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The White Sox opened this AL matchup as -170 home favorites and even got as high as -180 before money started coming back on the BoSox. Chicago is listed at -165 as of Wednesday afternoon. As for the total, that number opened at 8.0 and has been bet down to 7.5, slightly juiced to the Over.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until first pitch and be sure to check out the full MLB odds before placing your bets.
Red Sox vs White Sox predictions
- Prediction: Red Sox (+145)
- Prediction: Over 7.5 (-110)
- Best bet: Anderson Over 1.5 total bases (-110)
Picks made on 5/25/2022 at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Red Sox vs White Sox game info
• Location: Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago, IL
• Date: Wednesday, May 25, 2022
• First pitch: 8:10 p.m. ET
• TV: NESN, NBC Sports Chicago
Red Sox vs White Sox betting preview
Starting pitchers
Rich Hill (1-1, 3.90 ERA): The wonderous Dick Mountain himself takes the ball for the BoSox. The 42-year-old lefty continues to be effective, pitching to an expected ERA of 3.92 but is coming off his worst start of the season – a two-inning outing versus the Mariners.
Lucas Giolito (2-1, 2.84 ERA): The towering right-hander has arguably been the most reliable part of the White Sox’s season to this point. Giolito hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in any of his six starts while racking up 44 strikeouts in 31 2-3 innings pitched.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Red Sox: No key injuries to report.
White Sox: Luis Robert OF (Out), Eloy Jimenez OF (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Red Sox are 5-1 in their last six games when listed as an underdog. Find more MLB betting trends for Red Sox vs. White Sox
Red Sox vs White Sox picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
The Red Sox opened this series by humiliating the White Sox by double-digits, where seven of the 11 BoSox who played had a multi-hit game.
The win was the Red Sox’s sixth in a row, improving their record to 20-22. The blowout loss dropped the White Sox to 21-21, but they have a few things going for them in this matchup.
One is Lucas Giolito. The right-hander has been solid with a 3.71 xERA, and his 12.5 strikeouts per nine innings is among the best in baseball. Additionally, despite Chicago's overall struggles at the plate, the White Sox continue to do a decent job when facing left-handed pitching.
Tony La Russa's club rank third in batting average and OPS when going up against southpaws this season, and tonight they go up against one of the most experienced lefties in baseball, Rich Hill.
Hill continues to almost be surprisingly effective at the age of 42. His 3.92 xERA is thanks to a four-start stretch where he allowed just two earned runs on 13 hits over 19 innings. However, he is coming off a rough outing against the Mariners where he surrendered four runs on six hits in just two innings.
As good as the White Sox can be against lefties, the Red Sox are almost equally as good against righties, ranking sixth in OPS and 10th in batting average. Over the last 15 days, Boston is first in the MLB in both batting average and OPS.
The Red Sox also have a notable edge when it comes to the bullpens. Despite ranking 17th in ERA, the BoSox rank sixth in WHIP and seventh in opponent batting average. The White Sox rank 23rd, 23rd, and 25th in those respective categories.
While the Pale Hose have the edge in starters, their inconsistent bats and shaky bullpen means we are getting too much value with a hot Red Sox team in this one.
Prediction: Red Sox (+145 at bet365)
Over/Under analysis
When it comes to the total, the early money for this matchup has come in on the Under, and now that number is low enough to jump on the other side.
As noted, the White Sox perform much better when facing left-handed pitching and while Rich Hill has been effective at times, he is still a soft-tossing lefty who can lose the feel for his breaking stuff every so often. As a result, right-handed batters are hitting .277 off him this season.
On the other side, this Red Sox lineup is on fire. They are plating over 7.5 runs per game over their last 11 games and have scored five or more nine times in those 11 contests. That hot offense has cashed the Over in six of their last seven games.
We are getting a number this low because of Giolito, but he has given up six or more hits in three of his last four starts and the Red Sox are the type of team that will make him pay. The White Sox’s prowess against lefties should be enough to help contribute to the Over here as well.
Prediction: Over 7.5 (-110 at FanDuel)
Best bet
While the Red Sox are the hottest lineup going in baseball at the moment, the hottest hitter in baseball is in the opposing dugout. That is White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson.
Anderson has been tearing the cover off the baseball for most of the month of May, with a .407 batting average to go along with a .992 OPS. Maybe more impressive is the fact that he has struck out just seven times over 19 games this month.
While it seems crazy, Anderson has elevated his game even further. He is currently riding a five-game hitting streak, and has multiple hits in all of those games, hitting a ridiculous .600 with a 1.452 OPS.
And of course, Anderson crushes lefties. He is hitting a crazy good .519 with a 1.333 OPS when facing southpaws this season, so he should take advantage of this matchup with Hill.
Pick: Tim Anderson Over 1.5 total bases (-110 at DraftKings)
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