Astros vs. White Sox (August 18): Will Giolito improve to 4-0 in August?

Will there be another close game to wrap up the Houston Astros vs. Chicago White Sox series this afternoon?

The first three games of the series have been decided by just four runs, with Chicago rallying for 4-2 and 4-3 wins on Monday and Tuesday and Houston winning 3-2 last night.

Excellent pitching has taken the spotlight thus far in the series, but will that continue today with Luis Garcia and Lucas Giolito on the mound? Neither has had the year that they would have hoped thus far, but they can be as good as anyone when things are clicking.

Houston Astros vs. Chicago White Sox Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Houston Astros vs. Chicago White Sox
• Venue & Location: Guaranteed Rate Field (Chicago, Illinois)
• Date: Thursday, August 18, 2022
• Game Time: 2:10 p.m. Eastern Time (1:10 p.m. local time)

Astros vs. White Sox Pitching Matchup

• Houston Astros: Luis Garcia (2022: 21 starts, 9-8, 4.03 ERA)
• Chicago White Sox: Lucas Giolito (2022: 21 starts, 9-6, 4.92 ERA)

Astros vs. White Sox Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline. Odds from other top legal sportsbooks may also be included in this article.

Moneyline

• Houston Astros -130
• Chicago White Sox +110

Over/Under

• Over 8.5 (-105)
• Under 8.5 (-115)

Run Line

• Houston Astros -1.5 (+122)
• Chicago White Sox +1.5 (-146)

Will We See More Runs Today?

It is no real surprise that there hasn't been a great deal of scoring thus far in the series.

The big matchup, obviously, was Tuesday's clash of AL Cy Young favorites Justin Verlander and Dylan Cease. But Cueto vs. Urquidy and Valdez vs. Kopech also featured at least one starter with a sub-3.00 ERA.

We won't get that in this matchup, however.

Garcia ended a three-start losing skid last Friday against the Oakland Athletics, but after allowing four or more earned runs only three times in his first 17 starts, he matched that number in his last four starts.

Giolito's form is trending up, as he has won all three of his August starts, so that is a big boost for Chicago's hopes going forward. But he gave up four runs in seven innings in Saturday's win over the Detroit Tigers, and he has allowed fewer than four runs only once in his last six home starts.

Only twice thus far this season have the Astros been held to three or fewer runs in four straight games, and in this matchup, they will be looking to avoid a third instance. To date, Houston has scored four or more runs in almost 47 percent of their road games (29 of 62) this season.

The White Sox average fewer runs per game at home (4.13) than the Astros do on the road (4.32), but they have scored four or more runs in 55 percent of their home games (33 of 60) this season.

Houston Astros vs. Chicago White Sox Prediction and Picks

Astros vs. White Sox Prediction: White Sox to win

Astros vs. White Sox Picks: White Sox ML (Best Value: +115 at BetUS) & Astros/White Sox over 8.5 (Best Value: -105 at BetOnline, Bovada Sportsbook & BetMGM)

Garcia's road (3.07) and daytime (3.29) ERAs are superior to his home (4.88) and nighttime (4.42), but he has allowed four runs in back-to-back road starts.

With Giolito's generosity at home also in mind–he has a 5.86 ERA in nine home starts and a 4.16 ERA in 12 away starts–I like there to be a bit more scoring in this game than in the first three.

The over is my favorite bet here, but I also like the value with backing the White Sox as well.

Giolito's clearly still figuring it out and trying to find his way in what has been a tough season. But he is getting run support this month, and that run support is bringing wins. Look for that to continue today to help wrap up a valuable series win.

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