Chicago White Sox vs Houston Astros

The Houston Astros welcome the Chicago White Sox to Minute Maid Park on Thursday as the clubs meet on Opening Day. Houston enters the year as the reigning World Series champion, having won two titles and four American League pennants over the last six seasons.

The Astros opened as the home favorite at -192 on the moneyline but slid down to -153 by Wednesday night. The total was set at 7 runs. Houston has won eight of its last nine meetings vs Chicago at Minute Maid Park.

Starting Pitcher Report: White Sox 

Dylan Cease will get the ball for the White Sox as he looks to follow up on a dominant 2022 campaign. The right-hander went 14-8 with a sparkling 2.20 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP while holding batters to a .190 average over 184 innings. Cease made one appearance against the Astros and got banged around for six hits and three earned runs over just five innings.

Starting Pitcher Report: Astros 

The Astros counter with Framber Valdez, who was Houston’s starter in the decisive Game 6 of last year’s World Series. The southpaw posted a record of 17-6 with a 2.82 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP last season. Valdez made two starts against the White Sox, going 2-0 while allowing 15 hits and five earned runs over 13 innings.

Latest Betting Notes: White Sox 

The White Sox saw some significant changes this offseason, losing top slugger Jose Abreu, who’ll be playing across from them tonight for the Astros. With Abreu gone, Chicago will look to guys like Tim Anderson, Luis Robert and Yoan Moncada to take strides at the plate – and stay healthy.

Chicago hit just 149 homers last season, putting the team in the bottom third of MLB in that regard, so the White Sox will need to rely on small ball to drive in runs. That’s where someone like Anderson, who hit .339 last season, can be crucial at the top of the order.

Latest Betting Notes: Astros 

Unlike the White Sox, the Astros relied on their power last season as they slugged 214 home runs – the fourth-most in the majors – en route to a World Series title. The team’s top trio of Kyle Tucker (30 HR, 107 RBI), Yordan Alvarez (37 HR, 97 RBI) and Alex Bregman (23 HR, 93 RBI) remain with the club, giving Houston what should be an elite offense once again.

Bregman absolutely battered the White Sox in 2022 with 10 hits, three homers and 10 RBIs in seven games, so we’ll see if he can get off to a hot start against them this year.

White Sox Player Prop: Cease 7+ Ks (+114)

Cease was a strikeout machine last season, fanning 227 batters, the fifth-best mark in baseball. The right-hander struck opponents out at a pace of nearly 1.25 Ks per inning, so if he can pitch into the fifth or sixth inning, he’ll likely have a good shot at punching out at least seven. 

Astros Player Prop: Bregman 2+ Total Bases From Hits (+114)

As noted, Bregman lit up the White Sox in 2022, knocking four hits in his last contest vs Chicago on August 18 and collecting seven against them through that four-game series. Whether it’s a couple of base hits or maybe a dinger, Bregman should have a good shot at collecting at least two total bases tonight.