Chicago White Sox at Minnesota Twins Preview and Pick

The Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins are set to wrap up a three-game series on Wednesday afternoon at Target Field. Each team has picked up a win so far in this series, setting up the rubber game in this matchup.

Chicago was supposed to control the American League Central Division this season, and that is exactly what has occurred. The White Sox enter play with an overall record of 50-35 and have built up a 6.5-game lead in the division.

Minnesota was a team that was expected to challenge the White Sox in 2021, but that has simply not been the case. A brutal start to the season has the Twins sitting at just 35-49, which is good enough for last place in the division.

The Chicago White Sox are the favorites at -145 in this showdown with the Minnesota Twins.

White Sox at Twins Preview and Pick: Lynn Leading Sox Pitching Staff

The Chicago White Sox have some dominant starting pitchers in their rotation, but none have been better than Lance Lynn. Lynn was brought in this offseason to eat up some innings for this staff, but he has turned into one of the best pitchers in baseball.

The hard-throwing right-hander is 8-3 with a 2.02 ERA this season, and he has had some absolutely dominating performances along the way. Lynn is facing a lineup that struggles to score at times, and he could put up a low number in this game.

Injuries have taken away some of the best bats from the White Sox lineup this season, but there is enough depth that this team continues to score. The White Sox are fifth in baseball in both runs and batting average, and they wear out opposing pitchers.

Jose Abreu leads the team with 15 home runs and 63 RBIs, and Tim Anderson is back to hitting nearly .300 on the year.

White Sox at Twins Preview and Pick: Twins Have Some Pop

The overall offensive numbers don’t look good for the Minnesota Twins, but this team can give opponents some issues. There is plenty of power in this Twins lineup, and they will be looking to play long ball on Wednesday.

Nelson Cruz leads the team with 18 home runs and 45 RBIs, and he is also sporting an impressive .305 batting average. Minnesota is hitting .246 as a team, but it will need its big bats to step up against Lynn.

Minnesota has pitched to a team ERA of 5.00 this season, and that is the biggest reason that they are currently in last place in the AL Central. Michael Pineda will look to turn things around for the Twins on Wednesday, and he is 3-4 with a 3.70 ERA this season.

The Twins typically have to win games in a slugfest, and that strategy doesn’t always work against the White Sox.

White Sox at Twins Preview and Pick: White Sox Win Series Finale

Even though this has not been a good season for the Minnesota Twins, they have played much better since the beginning of June. Minnesota has historically always played well against the White Sox, but there is a clear gap in talent this season.

The fact that Chicago has Lance Lynn on the mound Wednesday afternoon is another big advantage as he just continues to pitch well. Minnesota isn’t a team that strings a ton of hits together, and Lynn will keep the Twins from hitting many long balls.

There are still some holes in this White Sox lineup due to injury, but there is enough talent to score some runs. Look for Chicago to break through on offense at some point Wednesday and give Lynn all of the run support that is needed.

Bet the Chicago White Sox -1.5 as they win this game by at least two runs.

Final Score

White Sox 6
Twins 2