Astros vs. White Sox Prediction, Computer Picks, Odds & Pitching Matchup 8/18/2022

The Houston Astros (76-43) are -129 favorites for their Thursday matchup with the Chicago White Sox (61-57). Luis Garcia gets the ball for the Astros and will look to earn his 10th win of the campaign. Garcia gets the starting nod for Houston while Lucas Giolito is Chicago’s starter for the contest.

Astros vs. White Sox Spread and Betting Line

Computer Predictions for Astros vs. White Sox

After taking a look at all of the key stats and trends for this matchup, our best bet is the White Sox on the moneyline at +108. Our computer picks see the scoring going over the total of 8.5 runs.

Our computer pick: Chicago White Sox (+108) and Over (8.5)

Astros vs. White Sox Game Info

• Houston Astros probable starting pitcher: Luis Garcia
• Chicago White Sox probable starting pitcher: Lucas Giolito
• Game Day: Thursday, August 18, 2022
• Game Time: 2:10 PM ET
• Location: Chicago, Illinois
• Stadium: Guaranteed Rate Field

Houston Astros vs Chicago White Sox Pitching Matchup

Astros Starter Luis Garcia

• The Astros will send Garcia (9-8) to the mound to make his 22nd start of the season as he looks for his 10th victory. He is 9-8 with a 4.03 ERA and 123 strikeouts through 118 1/3 innings pitched.
• The right-hander’s most recent time out was on Saturday against the Oakland Athletics, when he tossed six innings, surrendering four earned runs while giving up eight hits.
• The 25-year-old has a 4.03 ERA and 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings in 21 games this season, while giving up a batting average of .223 to his opponents.
• Garcia is looking to secure his eighth quality start of the year.
• Garcia is looking for his 11th straight appearance lasting five or more innings. He averages 5.2 frames per appearance on the hill.
• The opposing White Sox offense has the 18th-ranked slugging percentage (.386) and ranks 26th in MLB play with 101 home runs. It has a collective .259 batting average, and is second in MLB with 1061 total hits and 17th in MLB play scoring 500 runs.

White Sox Starter Lucas Giolito

• Giolito (9-6) will take to the mound for the White Sox and make his 22nd start of the season.
• The right-hander gave up four earned runs in seven innings pitched on Saturday in his last outing, a matchup with the Detroit Tigers.
• The 28-year-old has pitched to a 4.92 ERA this season with 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings compared to 3.4 walks per nine across 21 games.
• In 21 starts this season, he’s earned seven quality starts.
• Giolito has four starts in a row of five innings or more.
• The Astros have scored 533 runs this season, which ranks 10th in MLB. They are batting .242 for the campaign with 160 home runs, third in the league.
• The Astros have gone 7-for-21 with a double, two home runs and eight RBI in one game against the right-hander this season.

Astros Betting Picks & Insights

• This season, the Astros have been favored 103 times and won 69, or 67%, of those games.
• Houston has entered 89 games this season favored by -129 or more and is 59-30 in those contests.
• The moneyline for this contest implies a 56.3% chance of a victory for the Astros.
• Houston and its opponents have hit the over in 44 of their 120 games with a total this season.
• The Astros are 62-58-0 against the spread in their 120 chances this season.

White Sox Betting Picks & Insights

• The White Sox have come away with 20 wins in the 44 contests they have been listed as the underdogs in this season.
• Chicago has a win-loss record of 13-17 when favored by +108 or worse by sportsbooks this year.
• The White Sox have an implied victory probability of 48.1% according to the moneyline set by sportsbooks for this matchup.
• Chicago and their opponents have gone over in 52 of their 123 games with a total set by sportsbooks this season.
• The White Sox have posted a record of 56-67-0 against the spread this season.

Astros Leaders & Batting Stats

• Yordan Alvarez’s .296 average and 31 homers both put him atop the Astros leaderboard this season.
• In all of the majors, Alvarez ranks third in home runs and 10th in RBI.
• Alvarez has collected a hit in two games in a row. In his last five games he is hitting .313 with two walks and two RBI.
• Alex Bregman is hitting .258 with 30 doubles, 16 home runs and 64 walks.
• Bregman is 51st in home runs in MLB, and 24th in RBI.
• Kyle Tucker has driven in a team-high 77 runs batted in.
• Tucker is on a nine-game hitting streak entering this contest. In his last 10 games he is batting .343 with three doubles, a triple, two home runs, three walks and 10 RBI.
• Jose Altuve is hitting .275 with 26 doubles, 20 home runs and 48 walks.

White Sox Leaders & Batting Stats

• Jose Abreu has a team-best batting average of .309, and leads the White Sox in long balls with 14.
• Among all hitters in the big leagues, Abreu’s home run total ranks 77th and his RBI tally ranks 52nd.
• Abreu carries a five-game hitting streak into this matchup. In his last five games he is batting .647 with two walks and an RBI.
• Andrew Vaughn has collected 58 runs batted in to pace his team.
• Vaughn ranks 88th overall in home runs and 42nd in RBI this season.
• Luis Robert is hitting .301 with 15 doubles, 12 home runs and 15 walks.
• A.J. Pollock is batting .240 with 20 doubles, a triple, seven home runs and 23 walks.