Astros vs. White Sox prediction: Picks, odds, live stream, TV channel, start time on Thursday, August 18

The Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox square off on Thursday with first pitch set for 2:10 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. Luis Garcia (9-8, 4.03 ERA) will start for the Astros with Lucas Giolito (9-6, 4.92 ERA) on the mound for the White Sox.

Houston (76-43) lost the first two games of this series before picking up a win on Wednesday night and will go for a split. Garcia will make his 22nd start of the season after surrendering four runs over six innings on Friday against the Oakland Athletics. The Astros' strength comes with their power as they rank No. 5 in slugging percentage (.422), and Kyle Tucker has driven in a team-high 77 RBI this season.

Chicago (61-57) had its five-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday night as it fell two games behind the Cleveland Guardians in what should be a competitive American League Central down the stretch. Giolito will make start No. 22 after allowing four runs over seven innings of work on Saturday against the Detroit Tigers. The White Sox rank fourth in batting average (.259), and Jose Abreu had multiple hits in five straight games to increase his batting average to .309.

Astros vs. White Sox

Pitchers: Luis Garcia vs. Lucas Giolito
First pitch: 2:10 p.m. ET
Astros local broadcast: AT&T SportsNet-Southwest
White Sox local broadcast: NBC Sports-Chicago
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)

Odds, picks & predictions

Run Line: Astros -1.5 (+120)
Run total: 8.5
Moneyline odds: Astros -130, White Sox +110

Moneyline pick: Astros -130

Houston has the better offense in this matchup and in addition to a pitching advantage, so this is plenty of value to pick the favorites in this spot. The Astros faced Giolito once this season and roughed him up for eight runs on seven hits over five innings of work, and they will pick up a series split on Thursday afternoon.

Player prop pick: Lucas Giolito Over 4.5 strikeouts (-150)

The White Sox starter made a massive jump in strikeout numbers in his fourth MLB season in 2019, and he's been able to keep that going. Giolito has a 10.1 K/9 and struck out at least five hitters in all three starts this month. Look for him to reach five K's even against an Astros offense that strikes out the second-fewest times per game.

  
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