Chicago White Sox vs. San Francisco Giants (7/2/22) Starting Lineup, Betting Odds, Prediction
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Two potential all-stars will take the mound when the White Sox and Giants meet at Oracle Park on Saturday, as Dylan Cease and Logan Webb look to extend their hot streaks. Cease and Webb have been stellar lately, but these teams have not. The White Sox are under .500 and 4.5 games out of a wild card spot, while the Giants lost 7 of their last 10 entering this series.
Let’s take a look at starting lineups, betting odds, and predictions for Saturday’s matchup.
Chicago White Sox vs. San Francisco Giants Betting Odds
The Giants are home favorites at -147 on the money line, with the over/under set at 7.5. The o/u comes in pretty low considering the Giants rank 3rd in the league with 4.84 runs per game, but this should be a low-scoring affair with Cease’s swing-and-miss ability and Webb’s recent stretch of excellence. These are also two offenses that haven’t been too hot of late. Beware of winds, with “gusty” winds expected to blow out to the outfield. It’s an expansive outfield in San Francisco, and temperatures will be fairly cool, but the wind is something to monitor.
Chicago White Sox Starting Lineup
SS T. Anderson R
DH A. Vaughn R
CF L. Robert R
1B J. Abreu R
LF A.J. Pollock R
3B Y. Moncada S
RF G. Sheets L
2B J. Harrison R
C R. McGuire L
Chicago White Sox vs. Logan Webb
Logan Webb broke out in 2021, posting a 3.03 ERA over 148.1 innings and delivering two dominant starts in the postseason. He wasn’t as crisp early on this season, pitching to a 4.32 ERA over a 7-start stretch from late April into early June, but few starters have been better than Webb over the last three weeks. Webb has allowed just 1 earned run in his last 20 innings, bringing his ERA down to where his FIP has hovered all season. He has a 3.04 ERA and 3.03 FIP over 15 starts (91.2 IP), with a 1.12 WHIP and 81 strikeouts.
Walks have been a problem at times for Webb early in his career, but he’s fortunate enough to face a White Sox team near the bottom of the league in walks. Chicago has a low-patience lineup, which could allow Webb to stay red hot even with his strikeout rate down this season. Jose Abreu is on an 11-for-23 stretch and is someone Webb will have to be careful with. Contact hitters Tim Anderson and Andrew Vaughn have been quiet lately and could be due for a bounce-back weekend. Webb allows very few home runs, though, so the White Sox might need the wind to lift a ball or two if they want to score runs.
San Francisco Giants Starting Lineup
RF L. Wade L
CF M. Yastrzemski L
3B E. Longoria R
LF J. Pederson L
1B B. Belt L
SS T. Estrada R
2B W. Flores R
DH T. La Stella L
C C. Casali R
San Francisco Giants vs. Dylan Cease
The weather won’t matter much if Dylan Cease is striking everybody out. That’s what he’s been doing lately, striking out 24 batters over his last two starts. Cease is having a terrific season on paper, but his last six starts have been a bit of an oddity. He’s allowed just 1 earned run over that span, enough for a sparkling 0.26 ERA, but he’s allowed 10 unearned runs. The White Sox are prone to defensive mistakes, and Cease hasn’t always gotten out of jams his teammates create. Cease has a 2.56 ERA, 2.51 FIP, and 1.24 WHIP over 15 starts (81 IP) this season. Walks have been a big issue at times – Cease’s 37 walks are the most by any AL pitcher. At the same time, his 121 strikeouts are second among all pitchers.
The Giants haven’t been hitting up to their potential of late. Their OPS dropped from .760 in May to .702 in June, and it’s starting to cost them in the standings. Brandon Crawford (currently on the IL) and Brandon Belt aren’t hitting anything like they did last season, while Mike Yastrezmski hit just .168 in June after a terrific May. San Francisco has stayed afloat thanks to strong pitching from its aces and timely hitting from part-time players, but that’s probably not sustainable. Evan Longoria and Joc Pederson are two hitters who could burn Cease. Longoria has a 1.617 OPS over the past week, and Pederson has 4 extra-base hits in his last five games. The Giants do strike out often – more than 20 other teams – so Cease is poised to generate some swings-and-misses.
Chicago White Sox vs. San Francisco Giants Picks & Prediction
My pick: Under 3.5 White Sox Runs (-132)
Logan Webb’s only real issue over the last two seasons has been walks, and the White Sox don’t walk much – at least not with Yasmani Grandal on the IL. Webb only got better in 2021 as the season went on, and history seems to be repeating itself. Webb has been excellent, Camilo Doval has been excellent, and the Giants may not need much more than that in this one. Unless the wind significantly affects the game, this matchup should feature plenty of strikeouts, a few walks, and two pitchers you might see in LA later this month.
