Technically, the first regular-season series of the year between AL rivals the Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins kicked things off this past Monday, with the White Sox emerging victorious, 4-1. The Twins, meanwhile, have yet to win their first game of the season.
The two clubs then took a breather from action the following day, but the three-game set will resume this Wednesday and Thursday. Having said that, we’ve analyzed the two remaining contests and have also predicted a winner from each bout below to help you out with all your baseball betting needs.
And for another exciting divisional showdown in the works worth placing some stakes at as well, check out our series preview for Milwaukee vs. St. Louis right after this.
Chicago White Sox vs. Minnesota Twins Regular-Season Series Preview
Game 2: April 13, 1:10 PM ET – Carlos Rodon (0-1) vs. Phil Hughes (0-1)
Why the White Sox will win: Chicago ought to be brimming with confidence from their win over Minnesota on Monday, which also gave the team its best start to a season since 2005.
The Sox are also about to face Minnesota’s Phil Hughes, who got tagged with a loss in his season debut against Baltimore after giving up six hits and three earned runs in six innings of work. Four White Sox batters with over 10 lifetime at-bats versus Hughes are hitting over .300 against the righty.
Why the Twins will win: Let’s just say that Minny is bound to win its first game of the season sooner than later. The Twins got swept by the much-improved, 7-0 Orioles and the defending champs the Royals in their first six contests of this campaign, so they’ve faced some stiff competition away from home early on. And before Monday’s loss, the Twins actually went 8-2 in Target Field against the White Sox in 2015, and 34-23 overall in the last three seasons.
Writer’s Prediction: Minnesota finally gets its first mark on the win column, 3-2.
Game 3: April 14, 10:05 PM ET – Mat Latos (1-0) vs. Ervin Santana (0-0)
Why the White Sox will win: Not a single Minnesota position player has ever faced newly-acquired workhorse Mat Latos across the mound. Latos, a long-time starter in the National League, pitched a one-hitter for no runs in six frames during his AL debut against the A’s last Thursday. Expect the 28-year-old build off his first win as a starter since July of last year and puzzle the struggling Twins.
Why the Twins will win: The Twins will gladly counter Chicago’s Latos with a solid righty of their own in Ervin Santana. The Dominican has allowed just two earned runs and already struck out 10 batters in eight total innings and two combined starts this season.
Writer’s Prediction: Latos and the White Sox win an intense pitching duel against Santana and the Twins, 2-0, to take the series two games to one.
