López to shine vs. struggling White Sox offense

Find year-round coverage of betting news and insights for all sports by visiting our Betting section and subscribing to push notifications.

Monday was a rare tough night on the diamond. After profiting on every single slate last week, we started this week with a disappointing 0-3 card.

Brandon Pfaadt pitched a shutout through five and had thrown fewer than 60 pitches. He recorded only one out in a disastrous sixth inning and fell one short of our over. Emerging superstar Jared Jones walked the second-last batter he faced, while Reid Detmers managed to give the Angels a ton of length despite conceding four runs against a strong Orioles offense. It was simply one of those nights.

Let's take a look at a handful of plays that pop off the page as we look to get back to winning ways.

Pablo López: Over 7.5 strikeouts

López has yet to record eight strikeouts in a game this season, failing in all four starts. He has still managed to record seven on three occasions despite facing opponents with good plate discipline.

He has already pitched against the Orioles, Royals, and Guardians, who all rank top seven in avoiding punchouts versus right-handed arms.

The lone exception was the Tigers, against whom he had a seven-strikeout performance despite recording only 12 outs in his worst start this season.

López has consistently knocked on the door despite the tough string of opponents. The White Sox are a big step down in competition and offer the ultimate get-right spot for López.

Chicago ranks dead last in batting average and homers versus righties this season. They're likely to allow López to pitch deep into this game, which means plenty of opportunities for strikeouts.

The White Sox have handed them out like candy on Halloween of late, striking out eight times against each of Michael Wacha, Graham Ashcraft, and Zack Wheeler and 10 times against Chris Paddack over the past couple of weeks.

López possesses electric arm talent. He should be able to mow his way through this White Sox lineup, just as he did while recording eight Ks or more in all three starts against them a season ago.

Odds: +105 (playable to -125)

Max Fried: Over 17.5 outs

Fried is off to a sluggish start this season. He has only gone over this total once through four games and is sporting a 7.71 ERA.

Digging beneath the surface, I don't think there's much reason for concern. Fried failed to go over this total against the Astros, Diamondbacks, and Phillies. That's two of the top five teams in xwOBA against lefties plus a potent Phillies offense that ranks 13th in runs per game.

Fried recorded 19 outs in the one game he pitched against a subpar offense. He'll see those same Marlins again Tuesday.

The Marlins are hitting just .197 against left-handed pitchers this season and are showing no signs of power. Lefties are consistently going deep into games against them as well, as six straight have completed six innings or more.

The Braves will want to get Fried back on track, and this is a dream matchup to do that. Expect him to take advantage of one of the league's worst offenses.

Odds: -120 (playable to -140)

Grayson Rodriguez: Over 16.5 outs

Rodriguez is firing on all cylinders. He's 3-0 with a 2.63 ERA through four starts and has recorded at least 17 outs in each.

He's giving the Orioles real length each time out, picking up where he left off last season. Rodriguez has gone over this number in 14 of his last 17 starts dating back to last year.

Rodriguez hasn't faced any great offenses this season, and the Angels certainly don't buck that trend. They own a sub-.300 OBP and have fared better than only seven teams in that category versus right-handed arms.

The Angels also sit only 19th in runs per game despite Mike Trout having eight homers through 23 games. Outside of Taylor Ward, this team doesn't have much to support Trout.

Rodriguez allowed just one run over six innings in his season debut against the Angels. I expect a similar performance again.

Odds: -120 (playable to -145)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.