Chicago White Sox vs. Oakland Athletics Prediction: Can Ken Waldichuk Rack Up the Strikeouts Tonight?
The Chicago White Sox and Oakland Athletics battle it out Thursday night. Can Ken Waldichuk rack up the strikeouts tonight? Ben Rajavuori provides his prediction and picks for this game.
Ben Rajavuori - August 24, 2023, 4:47 PM EDT
5 minChicago White Sox vs. Oakland Athletics Prediction: Can Ken Waldichuk Rack Up the Strikeouts Tonight?
In a battle of a meaningless series, the White Sox host the Athletics for a four-game series from Guaranteed Rate Field. Neither team is going to make the playoffs, but both are playing with house money and playing with no pressure, which can actually make for some exciting games like the White Sox walk-off win yesterday against the Mariners in extra innings.
White Sox vs. Athletics Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: August 24, 2023
- Time: 8:10 pm ET
- Where to Watch: MLB.TV
Chicago White Sox vs. Oakland Athletics Prediction
With the Athletics season out of question, Ken Waldichuk has actually been pretty good since moving back to the starting rotation from the bullpen. Waldichuk has been back and forth between the starting rotation and bullpen, but he has been great in August against some of the toughest lineups in the league.
Waldichuk has four starts in August and has been through the gauntlet. His four starts have been against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals, and Baltimore Orioles. Three of those teams are leading their divisions, and two of them are second and fourth in the MLB in wins. Surprisingly, Waldichuk has fared well against this gauntlet and only allowed more than two earned runs in the start against the Dodgers, and he has actually been racking up strikeouts as well. Over his last seven starts, Waldichuk has amassed five or more strikeouts in all but one. His line tonight is 4.5, so I think you can see where I'm going with this.
Waldichuk has been averaging over a strikeout per inning this season, which means if he goes five innings tonight, he should pass 4.5, which is something he has done in almost every start this season. He should also have an easy time doing this because the White Sox have been abysmal at the plate against lefties. The White Sox are 30th, dead last, in strikeout rate against lefties the past 30 days with a 28.4% strikeout rate. Given Walkdichuk's success against tough lineups lately, this should be a cakewalk. The only team he hasn't struck out five or more against since mid-July is the Nationals, and they have the second-lowest strikeout rate in the league against lefties. There is some juice attached to this one, but Waldichuk will hit at least five strikeouts tonight, and I'd even take a stab at 8+ for +460 on FanDuel. Play this one to over 5.5 at +110 as well.
Chicago White Sox vs. Oakland Athletics Picks
- Play: Ken Waldichuk Over 4.5 Strikeouts -155 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
- .5 Unit Play: Waldichuk 8+ Strikeouts +460 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
MLB Odds
