White Sox vs. Royals Prediction, Betting Tips & Picks 5/18/2022

Seeking their 19th win of the year, the Chicago White Sox (18-18) are favorites (-161) on the moneyline when they take on the Kansas City Royals (13-22) Wednesday at 8:10 PM ET. Lucas Giolito gets the starting nod for Chicago while Zack Greinke is Kansas City’s starter for the contest.

White Sox vs. Royals Spread and Betting Line

Computer Predictions for White Sox vs. Royals

Our computer pick: Kansas City Royals (+138) and Over (7.5)

White Sox vs. Royals Game Info

• Chicago White Sox probable starting pitcher: Lucas Giolito
• Kansas City Royals probable starting pitcher: Zack Greinke
• Game Day: Wednesday, May 18, 2022
• Game Time: 8:10 PM ET
• Location: Kansas City, Missouri
• Stadium: Kauffman Stadium

Chicago White Sox vs Kansas City Royals Pitching Matchup

White Sox Starter Lucas Giolito

• Giolito takes the mound for his first start of the season for the White Sox.
• It’s the season debut and his first appearance in more than a year for the 27-year-old right-hander.
• The Royals have totaled 123 runs this season (27th in MLB) and are batting .225 collectively with 22 home runs (29th in the league).

Royals Starter Zack Greinke

• The Royals’ Greinke (0-2) will make his eighth start of the season.
• The right-hander gave up five earned runs in 4 2/3 innings pitched on Saturday in his last outing, a matchup with the Colorado Rockies.
• The 38-year-old has an ERA of 3.52, a 4.667 strikeout to walk ratio and a WHIP of 1.174 in seven games this season.
• He has two quality starts in seven chances this season.
• In seven starts this season, Greinke has lasted five or more innings six times, with an average of 5.1 innings per appearance.
• The White Sox are batting .226 this season, 21st in MLB. They have a team slugging percentage of .351 (23rd in the league) with 32 home runs.
• This season, the right-hander has pitched against the White Sox in one game, and they have gone 5-for-22 with two doubles, a home run and three RBI over six innings.
• The 38-year-old’s 3.52 ERA ranks 31st, 1.174 WHIP ranks 30th, and 3.3 K/9 ranks 57th among qualified pitchers in the majors this year.

White Sox Betting Picks & Insights

• The White Sox have won 16, or 55.2%, of the 29 games they’ve played as favorites this season.
• Chicago is 4-3 this season when entering a game favored by -161 or more on the moneyline.
• The implied probability of a win from the White Sox, based on the moneyline, is 61.7%.
• Chicago’s games have gone over the total in 14 of their 40 chances.
• The White Sox are 18-22-0 against the spread in their 40 chances this season.

Royals Betting Picks & Insights

• The Royals have been underdogs in 33 games this season and have come away with the win 12 times (36.4%) in those contests.
• This season, Kansas City has been victorious two times in 12 chances when named as an underdog of at least +138 or worse on the moneyline.
• The moneyline set for this matchup implies the Royals have a 42% chance of coming away with a victory in the contest.
• Kansas City and their opponents have hit the over in 16 of their 39 games with a total set by oddsmakers this season.
• The Royals are 18-21-0 against the spread in their 39 games that had a posted line this season.

White Sox Leaders & Batting Stats

• The White Sox best hitter so far this season is Tim Anderson, who’s hitting at a team-leading .328 rate along with four homers and 12 RBI.
• Of all hitters in MLB, Anderson ranks 72nd in home runs and 141st in RBI.
• Luis Robert has shown off his power as he paces his team with five home runs.
• Robert is 48th in home runs in MLB, and 124th in RBI.
• Jose Abreu paces the White Sox with 14 runs batted in.
• Abreu is on a two-game hitting streak entering this contest. During his last five outings he is batting .235 with a double, four walks and two RBI.
• Andrew Vaughn is batting .254 with three doubles, four home runs and five walks.

Royals Leaders & Batting Stats

• Andrew Benintendi has a team-high batting average of .304 and paces the Royals in runs batted in with a mark of 16.
• Benintendi ranks 168th in home runs and 73rd in RBI among all hitters in the majors.
• Whit Merrifield has five doubles, two home runs and eight walks while hitting .197.
• Among all MLB hitters, Merrifield is 168th in home runs and 91st in RBI.
• Hunter Dozier has seven doubles, two triples, three home runs and six walks while batting .280.
• Bobby Witt Jr. is hitting .215 with eight doubles, two triples, three home runs and six walks.

Betting Tips for White Sox vs. Royals

After looking at all of the key statistics and trends for this matchup, our best bet is the Royals on the moneyline at +138. Our computer picks see the scoring going over the total of 7.5 runs.