Chisox vs. Yankees
MLB Betting Preview
6/28/12
The Chicago White Sox head out to Yankee Stadium for the opener of a Four-Game series against the Bronx Bombers on Thursday in a battle of American League division leaders. The White Sox (40-35) have a terrible track record lately when playing the Yankees (46-28), dropping the last six meetings and eight out of the past 10 dating back to August of 2010. However, Chicago has won its last two series, taking Four of five after losing Four of five, and hopes to build on a 2 ½-Game lead over the Cleveland Indians for first place in the AL Central.
The Yankees are riding a five-Game winning streak into the first meeting of the season between the two teams, and they defeated the White Sox 7-2 at U.S. Cellular Field in the most recent head-to-head matchup last August 8. Philip Humber took the loss for Chicago in that last meeting while Ivan Nova picked up his 10th win of the season. Nova (9-2, 4.25 ERA) will take the hill again in the first Game of this series, and New York is 12-2 in his 14 starts so far this year with the UNDER going 8-6, including 4-0 in his past Four outings.
Nova has been hot recently, going 5-0 in his last six starts with the Yankees winning all of them. He has not recorded a loss since May 19 when the Cincinnati Reds edged New York, 6-5. Nova has been especially good in his last three trips to the mound, going 2-0 with a 1.33 ERA. He has actually only received seven combined runs of support when he has been on the mound during that stretch, but he has pitched well enough to help his team win every Game during that stretch. In his last start on June 23 at Shea Stadium, he did not receive one run of support during the 5.2 innings he pitched, but his teammates rallied and scored Four runs in the top of the seventh after he departed en route to a 4-3 win over the Mets. The only negative for the Yankees in this spot is that Nova has surprisingly not pitched that well in the confines of his home ballpark, going 3-2 there with a 5.35 ERA in six starts.
The White Sox will give the ball to young Dylan Axelrod (0-1, 5.54) as he makes just his third start of the season and fifth of his two-year career. Chicago is 1-1 in his previous two starts, including an 8-6 home win against the Milwaukee Brewers last time out on Saturday. Axelrod walked away with a no-decision against the Brewers after giving up Four earned runs and six hits with no walks and three strikeouts over 5.1 innings. He has appeared in only one road Game this year, allowing two runs and six hits with two walks and a season-high Four strikeouts in 4.1 innings of a 3-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers on May 6, which was his first start of 2012.