White Sox vs. Royals (August 11): Can K.C. cool off Cease to secure series win?

For some reason, the Chicago White Sox continue to refuse to run through the opening that continues to be provided for them to take control of the AL Central.

A road trip against the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals offered up the opportunity to bag several wins against two of the poorer teams in the American League.

Instead, they managed only a split from their four-game series in Arlington last week, and that is the best they will be able to get from their trip to K.C. if they win this afternoon’s series finale.

Still, they are only 2.5 games back in the AL Central, and with the first-place Cleveland Guardians set for a tough trip to Toronto this weekend, a big weekend could be ahead for Chicago. But to take maximum advantage of the possibilities, they need to head into their weekend visit from the struggling Detroit Tigers with a win.

Chicago White Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Chicago White Sox (56-55, 31-26 away, 3rd in the AL Central) vs. Kansas City Royals (46-66, 27-32 home, 4th in the AL Central)
• Venue & Location: Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City, Missouri)
• Date: Thursday, August 11, 2022
• Game Time: 2:10 p.m. Eastern Time (1:10 p.m. local time)

White Sox vs. Royals Pitching Matchup

• Chicago White Sox: Dylan Cease (2022: 22 starts, 12-4, 1.98 ERA)
• Kansas City Royals: Zack Greinke (2022: 18 starts, 3-7, 4.58 ERA)

White Sox vs. Royals Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline. Odds from other reputable online betting sites may also be featured in this article.

Moneyline

• Chicago White Sox -188
• Kansas City Royals +158

Over/Under

• Over 8 (-110)
• Under 8 (-110)

Run Line

• Chicago White Sox -1.5 (-108)
• Kansas City Royals +1.5 (-111)

Will Cease Continue His Scorching Stretch?

Houston’s Justin Verlander continues to lead the majors in wins and lead the way in the AL Cy Young Award race, and for good reason. He has won his last seven starts, and in that period, he has allowed just four earned runs and has an ERA of 0.76 and a WHIP of 0.80.

But Cease is doing his part to ensure that it is actually still a competitive race and that the 2011 and 2019 winner is not off into the distance just yet. And at the same time, he is helping the White Sox keep the Guardians and Minnesota Twins in view in the AL Central race.

In his last ten starts, Cease is 8-1 with a 0.77 ERA. In 58.2 innings, he has allowed just six runs (five earned) and 38 hits, and he has racked up 77 strikeouts.

Last Friday in Arlington, he allowed one run, two hits, and three walks and struck out five in six innings. In this stretch, Cease has now held the opposition to five or fewer hits eight times.

As has been mentioned in this space before, walks are often a concern, but when you aren’t allowing many to reach via batted ball, a few free passes are only so impactful.

This run should continue against the Royals, who have done little against Cease in two opportunities this season. In those two starts, he has allowed ten hits, five walks, and two runs and struck out 18 in 11.2 innings.

Overall, the 26-year-old righty has excelled against AL Central rivals this season. In nine starts against the Guardians, Royals, Tigers, and Twins, he is 6-2 with a 1.39 ERA, with 43 hits, 20 walks, and nine runs (eight earned) allowed and 66 strikeouts in 51.2 innings.

Chicago White Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Prediction and Picks

White Sox vs. Royals Prediction: White Sox to win

White Sox vs. Royals Picks: White Sox -1.5 (Best Value: -108 at BetOnline) & Royals team total under 3 runs (Best Value: +100 at BetOnline)

When you’re hot, you’re hot, and Cease is an inferno at present. If the same could be said for his rotation mates, the White Sox wouldn’t be running third in the Central approaching mid-August, but that is another discussion for another time.

In the last ten games that Cease has started, only one opponent has managed more than three runs (the Blue Jays in a 7-6, 12-inning White Sox win on June 21), and that is also the case for Cease’s ten away starts (the Guardians in a 6-3 win in Cleveland on April 21).

Offense has been hit or miss for Chicago this season, but that stinginess has still ended up reflecting well in run line results.

• Chicago is 17-5 SU in Cease’s starts this season, and 11 of those 17 wins have been by 2+ runs.
• They are 9-1 SU in his ten away starts this season, and seven of those nine wins have been by 2+ runs.
• They are 9-1 in his last ten starts, and six of those nine wins have been by 2+ runs.

So, with all of those favorable trends, the two above bets are both worth your investment. Yes, the White Sox as a whole seem to be allergic to succeeding where they should succeed, but Cease’s current form offsets the risk that presents.

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