Oakland Athletics vs. Chicago White Sox Prediction:
The Chicago White Sox are closing in on the modern record for most losses in a season. The current record since 1900 belongs to the 1962 New York Mets at 40-120. The White Sox enter Friday with a record of 33-114. A win at home against the Oakland Athletics is crucial to avoiding the wrong kind of history.
All-Start pitcher Garrett Crochet gets the start for the White Sox, who enters with a 3.83 ERA. Crochet has 12.8 strikeouts to 2.1 walks per nine innings, but with a fielding independent of 2.90, it shows he’s had some bad luck.
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The biggest problem with Crochet’s starts is who follows him. He has been on a tight innings restriction since the beginning of July, and since then, the White Sox have the second-worst bullpen ERA in baseball, at 5.48.
Since the start of these innings restrictions, Crochet has thrown four innings or fewer in every start, and the workload adjustment appears to have impacted him. He posted a 3.02 ERA before July 1 and a 6.34 ERA in his 11 starts since.
The Athletics counter with Brady Basso getting his fifth career pitching appearance and second start. Basso has allowed just two runs and a home run in 9 1/3 career innings to this point, after posting a 4.55 ERA with 10.5 strikeouts and 2.4 walks per nine innings in the minor leagues earlier this season.
Helping Basso’s cause is the White Sox scoring with just under 3.1 runs per game, last in the league. That number drops to a flat three runs per game at home, with every team in the league averaging at least 0.66 runs per game more both overall and specifically in home games.
The White Sox are 6-43 since the All-Star Break and are 2-12 in Crochet’s last 14 starts. Things will not improve on Friday against an Oakland team that is 27-22 since the All-Star Break.
MLB Pick: Oakland Athletics -124
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