Potential One-Sided Matchup in Philadelphia
No Other Way About it in Our White Sox vs Phillies Preview
The Philadelphia Phillies look to build on their three-game winning streak when they host the Chicago White Sox. Philadelphia has been on the winning end of most of its recent MLB scores, sweeping the Colorado Rockies at home in its last series. Our White Sox vs Phillies preview is straightforward in favor of the latter.
The Phillies are in second place in the NL East heading into the weekend, trailing the first-place Atlanta Braves by two games. Meanwhile, Chicago has gotten off to a horrible start to 2024, entering this series with just three wins total. The White Sox got that third win in the finale of their previous series with the Kansas City Royals, which snapped a six-game losing skid.
The moneyline shows the Phillies already at -188 to win the opener on Friday at FanDuel Sportsbook. The White Sox are listed at +158. Friday’s opener is scheduled for a 6:40 p.m. ET first pitch at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
Phillies vs White Sox 
Records: Philadelphia Phillie (11-8), Chicago White Sox (3-15)
Days, Times:
Location: Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA
Stream: NBCSCH, NBCSP
Pitching Matchups
Game 1: Garrett Crochet (Chicago) vs Spencer Turnbull (Philadelphia)
The White Sox will have a solid starter for the opener in 24-year-old lefty Garrett Crochet. This will be Crochet’s fifth start of the season, and he comes in with a 1-2 record and 3.57 ERA. He ranks third in the majors with 31 strikeouts in his 22.2 innings of work.
He had 10 of those strikeouts in his last outing, though he took the loss, going 4.2 innings and giving up five runs on four hits to the Cincinnati Reds last Saturday.
Philadelphia will counter with right-hander Spencer Turnbull, who enters with a 1-0 mark and a 1.80 ERA.after three starts. The 31-year-old had his worst start of the season in his last outing, going just four innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates and allowing three runs on four hits while walking four.
Game 2: Michael Soroka (Chicago) vs Zack Wheeler (Philadelphia)
A major mismatch in starting pitching happens on Saturday night. This is a game that you definitely want to include a Phillies wager among your MLB bets today.
Chicago will have righty Michael Soroka getting the start, as he brings an 0-2 mark and 6.98 ERA to the mound. The 26-year-old has made four starts this season, allowing at least four earned runs in three of them.
The Phillies starter, Zack Wheeler, is 0-3 on the season, but he has a 3.00 ERA and has recorded 30 strikeouts in 24 innings. Wheeler’s problem has been a lack of run support, as Philadelphia has put up a total of six runs in his four starts in 2024. Look for that to change in this game, giving Wheeler his first win of the season.
Game 3: Nick Nastrini (Chicago) vs Aaron Nola (Philadelphia)
The best matchup of the weekend may be in the series finale, with the White Sox giving the ball to 24-year-old Nick Nastrini. The right-hander is 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA and will be making only his second career start at the major league level.
Nastrini was solid in his MLB debut on Monday, going five innings against Kansas City and allowing two earned runs on just three hits while striking out five.
He’ll face veteran righty Aaron Nola making his fifth start of the season. The 30-year-old is 2-1 with a 3.47 ERA and coming off a solid performance against the Rockies on Monday. Nola went 7.1 innings and allowed just one run on four hits, striking out nine in the process.
Major Edge In Offense To Philly
The biggest problem for Chicago this season has been a lack of offense, as it ranks 29th in baseball in batting average (.196) and dead last in runs (38). The 29th-ranked team in total runs is Oakland, which has scored 18 more than the White Sox.
First baseman Gavin Sheets was the hero of Chicago’s win over Kansas City in Wednesday’s second game of a doubleheader, hitting his third home run of the season. Sheets is tied with Paul DeJong for the team home run lead and his nine RBI are by far the most on the team.
Philadelphia hasn’t been lighting the scoreboard up too often, ranking 22nd in runs with 72, but the potential is there with a number of veteran hitters capable of having big games. Shortstop Trea Turner is batting .329 with two home runs, six RBI and 12 runs scored, while designated hitter Kyle Schwarber has a team-best five home runs and 13 runs scored while also driving in nine runs.
Phillies The Easy Pick To Win Interleague Series
As stated earlier, the moneyline has the Phillies as the favorite for the series opener on Friday. On the run line, you can get the White Sox at -138 while getting 1.5 runs, or you can give the 1.5 runs and take Philadelphia at +115. The over/under is set at 8.5 runs for the opener, with the over getting +100 and the under -122.
The home team has to be the favorite in any game in this series, and this White Sox vs Phillies preview is going to advise you to take Philadelphia in every game. The White Sox have struggled all season long, especially at the plate, while the Phillies are putting things together for a long run to the postseason.
With Chicago’s putrid offense and Philadelphia’s solid pitching, the under should be your play in each game as well.
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