MLB Lines – Tigers vs White Sox
Due to a steady deluge of rain in the Great Lakes area (the Tigers have had three rainouts already this year) stud hurler Justin Verlander has been pushed back to Tuesday and will face the White Sox in the south side of Chicago. Having Verlander take the bump is always good news for Detroit.
Date/Time: Tuesday, April 29 2014, 8:10 pm EST
Venue: US Cellular Field, Chicago IL
Detroit, ChiSox (no odds yet listed)
Over/Under:
Odds from Bovada
Pitching Match-up: Justin Verlander (3-1, 2.18 ERA) vs. Jose Quintana (1-2, 3.90 ERA)
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Chicago (13-13) sit at .500 despite ace pitcher Chris Sale being on the DL and the pitching as a whole being miserable. How are the Pale Hose keeping pace with everyone in the AL Central?
Two words: Jose Abreu.
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The Cuban rookie is proving that the ungodly numbers he put up in the Cuban league are no fluke. Abreu has slugged an amazing 10 HRs and 31 RBI in his first month of Major League service.
Abreu has broken records set by Albert Pujols, Carlos Delgado and Al Kaline for offensive success as a rookie. The big Cuban is single-handedly hanging numbers on the White Sox’s scoreboard.
It also helps that an offseason acquisition from Arizona, Adam Eaton, has also been superb. The Sox currently rank in the Top 10 in the league in every major offensive category: Runs (1st with 143); Batting Average (4th at .270 as a team); OBP (7th at .332 as a team); and slugging (3rd at .432).
It will assist the South Siders if their offense keeps mashing to bridge the time until Sale is healthy enough to return, as he is one of MLB’s best and is basically a win every fifth day.
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But in come the Tigers (12-9) to US Cellular Field, and they are certainly no slouch.
Verlander and Max Scherzer is an elite pitching duo, not to mention the Tigers feature arguably the best hitter in baseball in Miguel Cabrera (with apologies to Mike Trout). Detroit also has a more well-rounded skill set in 2014 thanks to the infusion of speed from OF Rajai Davis.
The Tigers should get to the rather pedestrian starter Jose Quintana in a ballpark that is conducive to power hitters. This also obviously breaks the home team’s way, also.
While Abreu and Eaton have been playing inspired ball, many a good hitter have run into a slump when Verlander takes the mound. Look for Verlander not to be intimidated by Chicago’s early gaudy stats; he’ll go right at the White Sox lineup.
MLB Prediction
If Abreu keeps hitting at anything close to his current pace, Chicago’s acquisition of him from Cuba will be the master-stroke of the offseason. Already Sox GM Rick Hahn looks like a genius.
Many clubs have historically shown us, though, that a strategy of all offensive thump and no pitching is not a sustainable success model. The return of Sale will help, but pitching depth is a concern for the White Sox.
Look for Detroit’s lauded starter to show why he is routinely in the Cy Young Award discussion by muffling the hot Chicago bats and earning his Tigers an always welcome divisional win on the road.
Detroit 6, Chicago Sox 4
