Oakland Athletics vs. Chicago White Sox: Odds, Preview and Prediction – September 13

The Chicago White Sox are closing in on the modern record for most losses in a season. The current record since 1900 belongs to the 1962 New York Mets at 40-120. The White Sox enter Friday's game with a record of 33-114. A home win against the Oakland Athletics is crucial to avoid the wrong kind of history.

All-start pitcher Garrett Crochet starts for the White Sox, coming in with a 3.83 ERA. Crochet has 12.8 strikeouts and 2.1 walks per nine innings, but with a 2.90 fielding independent, it shows he's had some bad luck.

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The biggest problem with Crochet's starts is who follows him. He's been on a tight innings limit since early July, and since then the White Sox have the second-worst bullpen ERA in baseball at 5.48.

Since those innings limits began, Crochet has thrown four innings or less in each start, and the workload adjustment appears to have had an impact on him. He had a 3.02 ERA before July 1 and a 6.34 ERA in his 11 starts since then.

The Athletics counter with Brady Basso, making his fifth appearance as a pitcher and second starter. Basso has allowed just two runs and one home run in 9 1/3 innings of his career so far after posting a 4.55 ERA with 10.5 strikeouts and 2.4 walks per nine innings in the minor leagues earlier this season.

Basso benefits from the fact that the White Sox rank last in the league at just under 3.1 runs per game. That number drops to a whopping three runs per game at home, with every team in the league averaging at least 0.66 runs per game more, both overall and specifically at home.

The White Sox are 6-43 since the All-Star break and 2-12 in Crochet's last 14 starts. Things won't improve on Friday against an Oakland team that is 27-22 since the All-Star break.

MLB Pick: Oakland Athletics -124

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