White Sox vs. Royals Prediction, Betting Tips & Picks 5/19/2022

The Chicago White Sox (18-19) and the Kansas City Royals (14-22) meet in the rubber match of a five-game series on Thursday at 2:10 PM ET. The White Sox are -142 favorites on the moneyline to win the series over the Royals (+122). Chicago’s Vince Velasquez and Kansas City’s Carlos Hernandez have been named the starters for this contest.

White Sox vs. Royals Spread and Betting Line

Computer Predictions for White Sox vs. Royals

Our computer pick: Kansas City Royals (+122) and Over (9.5)

White Sox vs. Royals Game Info

• Chicago White Sox probable starting pitcher: Vince Velasquez
• Kansas City Royals probable starting pitcher: Carlos Hernández
• Game Day: Thursday, May 19, 2022
• Game Time: 2:10 PM ET
• Location: Kansas City, Missouri
• Stadium: Kauffman Stadium

Chicago White Sox vs Kansas City Royals Pitching Matchup

White Sox Starter Vince Velasquez

• Velasquez makes the start for the White Sox, his seventh of the season. He is 2-3 with a 5.53 ERA and 25 strikeouts through 27 2/3 innings pitched.
• His last time out came on Saturday against the New York Yankees, when the righty tossed five innings, surrendering seven earned runs while allowing eight hits.
• In six games this season, the 29-year-old has a 5.53 ERA and 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings, while giving up a batting average of .268 to his opponents.
• So far this season, Velásquez has not recorded a quality start.
• Velásquez is looking for his fourth straight appearance lasting five or more innings. He averages 4.2 innings per appearance on the mound.
• He will face a Royals offense that ranks 26th in the league with 129 runs while batting .229 as a unit. It has a collective .345 slugging percentage (27th in MLB play) and has hit a total of 24 home runs (28th in MLB).

Royals Starter Carlos Hernández

• Hernandez (0-3) will take the mound for the Royals, his seventh start of the season.
• The right-hander gave up nine earned runs and allowed eight hits in four innings pitched against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.
• The 25-year-old has pitched to a 9.11 ERA this season with 4.4 strikeouts per nine innings compared to 5.1 walks per nine across six games.
• In six starts this season, Hernandez has not yet earned a quality start.
• In six starts this season, Hernandez has lasted five or more innings one time, with an average of 4.1 innings per appearance.
• The White Sox are batting .227 this season, 21st in MLB. They have a team slugging percentage of .350 (25th in the league) with 32 home runs.

White Sox Betting Picks & Insights

• This season, the White Sox have won 16 out of the 30 games, or 53.3%, in which they’ve been favored.
• Chicago has a record of 7-9, a 43.8% win rate, when favored by -142 or more by sportsbooks this season.
• Bookmakers have implied with the moneyline set for this matchup that the White Sox have a 58.7% chance to win.
• Chicago and its opponents have hit the over in 14 of their 41 games with a total this season.
• The White Sox have an ATS record of 18-23-0 in 41 games with a spread this season.

Royals Betting Picks & Insights

• The Royals have been chosen as underdogs in 34 games this year and have walked away with the win 13 times (38.2%) in those games.
• This season, Kansas City has come away with a win six times in 21 chances when named as an underdog of at least +122 or worse on the moneyline.
• Bookmakers have implied with the moneyline set for this matchup that the Royals have a 45% chance of pulling out a win.
• Contests with Kansas City have gone over the total set by oddsmakers in 16 of 40 chances this season.
• The Royals have posted a record of 19-21-0 against the spread this season.

White Sox Leaders & Batting Stats

• The White Sox best hitter thus far this season is Tim Anderson, who’s hitting at a team-leading .338 rate along with four homers and 13 RBI.
• Anderson’s home runs place him 74th in the majors, and he is 132nd in RBI.
• Luis Robert’s five home runs lead his team.
• Robert is 51st in home runs and 132nd in RBI among all major league hitters this season.
• Jose Abreu paces the White Sox with 14 runs batted in.
• Abreu will look to build on his three-game hitting in this game. During his last five outings he is hitting .278 with two doubles, three walks and two RBI.
• Andrew Vaughn is batting .254 with three doubles, four home runs and five walks.
• Vaughn has recorded at least one hit in two games in a row. During his last five outings he is batting .167 with an RBI.

Royals Leaders & Batting Stats

• Andrew Benintendi paces the Royals with 16 runs batted in while putting up a team-best batting average of .302.
• Benintendi’s home run total puts him 172nd in MLB, and he ranks 80th in RBI.
• Benintendi takes a hitting streak of two games into this matchup. In his last five games he is hitting .200 with three walks and an RBI.
• Whit Merrifield has capitalized on opportunities as he leads his team with 16 runs batted in.
• Merrifield is 172nd in homers and 80th in RBI among all MLB hitters this season.
• Bobby Witt Jr. is batting .224 with eight doubles, two triples, four home runs and six walks.
• Hunter Dozier is hitting .281 with eight doubles, two triples, three home runs and seven walks.

Betting Tips for White Sox vs. Royals

Our best bet is the Royals on the moneyline at +122 after digging through all of the key trends and stats for this matchup. Our computer predicts the scoring will over the total of 9.5 runs.