This article is part of our MLB Picks series.
MLB Best Bets Today: Chicago White Sox @ San Diego Padres
The MLB playoffs are right around the corner and I'm getting a little excited. There's so much action left with major implications in both divisional races, as well as the Wild Card races. I'm looking to the National League for Friday night action
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Chicago White Sox (+190) @ San Diego Padres (-230) | Total: O/U 7 (-110/-110)
Life for the Chicago White Sox has been brutal this season, to say the least. Their 117 losses are past the point of comedy, it's just sad. I mean, I'm still going to laugh at them, but you get the idea. The Sox are four losses away from clinching the worst record in MLB history (1962 Mets had 120). Things don't get much easier for them as they travel to San Diego to face a Padres team that has won six of its last eight and is gearing up for their final stretch run.
The Friars will be rolling with Joe Musgrove aka Sir Joey Shoves A Lot. He has had a rough year, missing about half of his starts with injury, but he's still one of the most important players on this team. Aside from an absolute disaster against the Giants last week where he allowed six earned runs, he's been great. Four of his last five outings have been of the quality start variety, walking just four batters in that span. Behind him is a lethal offense that has been ripping up opposing pitching in the second half of the season to the tune of 5.14 runs per game.
Musgrove will see a White Sox offense that has been putrid, scoring fewer than three runs per game since the All-Star break. Outside of Andrew Vaughn and Andrew Benintendi, both of whom have 19 homers each, there has not been much production elsewhere. Though Musgrove has allowed 12 long balls in home starts this year, it seems difficult for Chicago to muster much production.
The Padres lineup features a white-hot Manny Machado, batting .324 with 10 homers in the last 30 days. He seems primed for a big start to the weekend series. Garrett Crochet will be on the mound for the Sox, the same dude who was a perennial Cy Young candidate in the first half of the year. Things have gotten dark for the Tennessee product who was denied a mid-season trade and has instead been limited like an NFL team putting their star player in bubble wrap.
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Crochet has failed to venture past four innings since the start of July. He's also not been allowed to throw more than 77 pitches in any of his last 10 outings since the All-Star break. The limited action he has seen hasn't been terrific either as he has surrendered 17 earned runs in his last eight starts. He will face a Friars offense that currently has the 10th-most taters in the MLB (180), eighth-most runs scored (726) and best batting average (.265).
It's baseball, so anything can happen on a nightly basis. The fact is this matchup is a strong one for San Diego despite the fact they hit lefties 36 points lower than righties and 18 points worse at home than on the road. In most cases, it can lean a sneaky play to the underdog, but Chicago has given up. San Diego has a lot to play for trying to clinch a playoff berth and go into the playoffs hot. In the blink of an eye, they are only leading the Wild Card race by two games, but are still four games back of the Dodgers in the National League West. There is a lot to play for still, so they can't mess around.
Pick: Padres -1.5 (+102 FanDuel Sportsbook)
