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The Chicago White Sox will take on the Kansas City Royals on Monday night. The White Sox beat the Oakland Athletics 4-1 on Sunday, bringing their record to 51-50 on the season. The Royals now find themselves at 40-62 on the year after their recent 8-6 victory over the New York Yankees.
The Royals now trail by 13.5 games in the American League Central division. The White Sox, meanwhile, are just two games back in the same division heading into Monday's matchup.
"Leaving town on a good note. #TogetherRoyal" - @Royals
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Michael Kopech gets the ball Monday for the White Sox, carrying a 4-6 record and a 3.16 ERA. He'll be facing a poor Royals lineup that is 26th in runs per game. The Royals managed to plate eight runners in their come-from-behind win on Sunday, but this is likely an outlier.
In his previous start, Kopech threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings, giving up six hits while striking out four. They've only averaged 3.1 runs per game in their last seven. They recently traded away Andrew Benintendi, their best hitter. Look for Kopech to continue mowing hitters down as he did in this previous start.
"Michael Kopech, 96 mph Fastball and 85 mph Slider, Overlay" - Rob Friedman
Brad Keller will be starting Monday. He is 5-11, with a 4.18 ERA in 19 starts on the season. Lately, the right-hander has been better than his overall numbers, sporting a 3.77 ERA in his past five outings. The White Sox have a decent lineup that Keller pitched well against back in April. In that appearance, he went seven strong and held Chicago to three runs, earning the quality start.
Chicago White Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Match Details
Fixture: Kansas City Royals @ Chicago White Sox
Date & Time: Monday, August 1, 8:10 PM EDT
Venue: Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago, Illinois
Chicago White Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Betting Odds
Chicago White Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Best Picks
Kopech has only managed to record 10 Ks in his last three outings. Also, earlier this year, he faced the Royals and struck out just three hitters. Kansas City has one of the lower K rates in the MLB, yet they take the under for this prop.
Pick: Michael Kopech Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-132)
Chicago White Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Betting Prediction
The White Sox have the much better team talent-wise, and they've been able to climb back over .500. Look for the home team to take advantage of a Royals club that is just 18-32 away from home. Also, expect Kopech to keep the Royals' bats in check in the series opener.
Prediction: White Sox -1.5 (+125) & Royals Team Total Under 3.5 (+110)
