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The Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros square off on Sunday with first pitch set for 7:08 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX, and will be available to watch on ESPN. Michael Kopech (2-2, 1.92 ERA) will start for the White Sox while Cristian Javier (3-3, 3.20) will go for the Astros.
Chicago (31-32) has split games in this series losing on Friday, but coming back with a dominant win on Saturday. On the back of Johnny Cueto getting his first win of the year, the White Sox won 7-0. The White Sox got all of their scoring done in the third and fourth innings, but it was plenty as they held the Astros to only three hits. Kopech will be making his 12th start of the season. In his most recent, he only was able to get two outs as an injury say him removed from the game. Once this series wraps, Chicago will welcome the Toronto Blue Jays to town for a three-game set.
Houston (40-25) had been on a three-game win streak before the loss on Saturday. They still remain one of the top teams in the American League and remain nine games up on the Texas Rangers in the AL West. The Astros will have an off day Monday before hosting the New York Mets in a brief two-game series that begins on Tuesday. Ahead of that, Javier will be making his 13th start of the season. In his last outing, he pitched six innings and gave up five hits and two earned runs while striking out seven on his way to a no-decision.
White Sox vs. Astros
Pitchers: Michael Kopech vs. Cristian Javier
First pitch: 7:08 p.m. ET
White Sox local broadcast: NBC Sports Chicago
Astros local broadcast: AT&T SportsNet Southwest
Live stream: WatchESPN, ESPN app
Moneyline odds: Chicago +135, Houston -155
Odds, picks & predictions
Run Line: Houston -1.5
Run total: 7.5
Moneyline odds: Chicago +130, Houston -150
Moneyline pick: Houston -150
The Astros are the safer bet here. Their lineup is better overall and Javier has looked better on the mound. Yes, Kopech has a lower ERA, but he typically is only pitched four or five innings and then turns the game over to the bullpen which is also why he doesn’t have many decisions on his record. This pitching matchup is fairly even, but I give the edge to Javier with the run support he will likely get from the Houston batting order.
Player prop pick: Michael Brantley over 0.5 hits (-250)
Brantley continues to be one of the most consistent hitters in the Astros lineup. Through 57 games he is hitting .296 with 12 doubles, a triple, five home runs and 25 RBIs. He had a 12-game hit streak going before it ended on Saturday. He has only gone hitless in back-to-back games this season and won’t be making it a second time on Sunday.
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