There are multiple games today beginning this evening on the American League schedule, and there’s value to target in these spots. Below, you can find both games from the American League and some of our best bets on the FanDuel Sportsbook.Chicago White Sox (+136) vs. Minnesota Twins (-162) Total: 8.5 (O-110, U-110)
The Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins will kick off a four-game weekend series tonight from Target Field. Both clubs enter this series with identical 5-5 records over their past ten games, while the Twins currently hold a five-game lead over the White Sox for the top spot in the AL Central. The White Sox have won two straight games, but they haven’t managed to find consistency this season to get over the .500 mark. These two clubs last faced off just a week ago, when the Twins took two of three games from the White Sox.
The opening pitching matchup of this series is expected to be a good one, with two quality arms on the mound that have both posted good numbers this season. The White Sox are expected to send veteran Johnny Cueto to the mound, while the Twins counter with Sonny Gray. Both of these arms have pitched well over three months of the season, with Cueto owning a 3-4 record with a 2.91 ERA and 53 strikeouts, while Gray is 4-2 with a 3.03 ERA and 54 punchouts.
Even though this looks like it should be a low-scoring matchup, the total for tonight is 8.5, which means there might still be some runs scored. Cueto pitched against the Twins on July 4th and threw six innings while allowing just two earned runs. Gray has yet to face the White Sox this year but does have experience pitching against them.
Cueto and Gray present a pitching matchup that should be very close on paper, and we’ve already seen Cueto put together a quality start against this Twins team recently. The White Sox need victories right now, especially against the team they trail in the AL Central. With that in mind, the price tag of the visitors is going to be difficult to pass up tonight, with the White Sox currently sitting at sold plus-money value on the moneyline at +136.
Best Bet: White Sox moneyline (+136)
Seattle Mariners (-102) vs. Texas Rangers (-116) Total: 8.5 (O-120, U-102)The Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers will begin their four-game AL West clash tonight from Globe Life Field. The Mariners and Baltimore Orioles, two teams, currently streaking in the American League, have both won ten straight games and are quietly making noise in the wild card race. It might be hard for the Mariners to catch the AL West-leading Houston Astros, but they currently sit in a three-way tie for a wild card position with the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox. It’s hard not to be impressed with how this team is currently manufacturing victories, and they’ll head into Texas looking for even more success against the Rangers tonight.
Texas owns a 4-6 record over their past ten games and haven’t exactly brought a lot of excitement to the table of late.
Seattle and Texas are scheduled to face off tonight with a compelling pitching matchup between two arms that have found a lot of success in their respective rotations this year. Marco Gonzales of the Mariners is set to take on Martin Perez of the Rangers in a battle of left-handers. Gonzales currently owns a 5-9 record with a 3.24 ERA and 49 strikeouts, while Perez was selected to the AL All-Star team and is 7-2 with a 2.72 ERA and 86 strikeouts. There’s been a ton of consistency present from both lefties this season, but many of the Mariners batters have liked facing off with Perez in prior meetings, which could give them an advantage in this series opener.
The Mariners have seen their bats and pitching staff perform admirably over their impressive ten-game win streak, and they still have some value that makes sense to target in this matchup with Texas tonight. Perez has been great this year, but Gonzales has been getting more run support of late than he’s used to, and this Seattle team is dangerous and hard to fade right now. As a result, looking towards the visiting Mariners on the moneyline makes a lot of sense, which is currently priced at -102.
Best Bet: Mariners moneyline (-102)