Albert
·
3d
My Prediction
Los Angeles Angels by 2First off, we're heading to the scenic confines of Guaranteed Rate Field, a place that tends to make batters feel like Greek gods given its slight tilt toward the guys swinging the lumber. Today, we've got the Los Angeles Angels, a team as heavenly as their name suggests, pitting themselves against the home team, the Chicago White Sox, who, amusingly or ironically, wear black at home.
The spat between the mound maestros is set to be rather interesting. The Angels will be banking on Jack Kochanowicz to turn his team's fortunes. A quick glance at last season's stats reveals a 4.05 ERA and 3.5 K/9 across 11 appearances. Not the most awe-inspiring, but let's be grudgingly optimistic, eh? Meanwhile, the White Sox will have Davis Martin doing the hurling. Last year, this guy logged a 4.50 ERA with a heftier 8.8 K/9 in his 11 showings. More of a strikeout guy, I see.
Let's discuss some players who get paid to swing sticks and run in circles. For our Angelic team, we have Jorge Soler who last year smacked 21 balls out of the park, while Luis Rengifo and Zach Neto jumped around the bags 24 and 30 times respectively. And who can forget Taylor Ward, last season’s RBI machine with 75 to his name.
The White Sox, in contrast, will rely on Andrew Vaughn, their own version of Thor with 19 homeruns, and Luis Robert, who had a knack for petty theft with 22 stolen bases. Mike Tauchman, Andrew Benintendi and Lenyn Sosa should also be ready to join the party.
While historically, the White Sox have had upper hand in the recent matchups, these Angels did manage to clip their wings in their last outing. However, both teams were far from spectacular last season, with more losses in their kitty than a clumsy kitten in a china shop. Their recent form is also as reliable as a chocolate teapot, with more downs than ups.
Now, if this game were determined by the brilliance of their colors, Angels would win hands down. But this isn’t a beauty pageant, it’s baseball. And even though both teams seem to stumble more than a toddler trying to put on pants, my punting patrons, I slightly edge towards the Angels for this one. They’re like an ostrich with its heads in the sand, sure, but with a little wind beneath their wings, this game could be theirs.
Albert’s Prediction: Los Angeles Angels by 2.