Tuesday's Astros-White Sox game brings us the best starting pitching matchup of the season as the two AL Cy Young betting favorites at Caesars Sportsbook, Justin Verlander and Dylan Cease, face off. I thought we might get a rare total of just six runs, but it opened at 7. The Under is a -120 favorite, so that could drop to 6.5 by first pitch. It's the first time Cease is an underdog (+115) since July 2 at San Francisco, and he won that game.
&q uot;This is like when I was a kid,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said Monday afternoon. “[Sandy] Koufax and Juan Marichal, Don Drysdale and Gaylord Perry, Ferguson Jenkins and Bob Gibson. … I'm going to have to be careful and make sure I don't spectate … because if I was at home, I'd get me a bowl of popcorn and some beer and the only time I would leave is if there was a commercial or in between innings. That's a classic good one.”
Verlander (15-3, 1.85 ERA, 0.86 WHIP) is -175 to win his third Cy Young Award; only nine pitchers have won at least three. Verlander leads the majors in wins, ERA and WHIP and opponent OPS (.523), while ranking fourth in opponent average (.190). 'He is attempting to become the oldest pitcher to lead MLB outright in wins and ERA in a season — no pitcher older than 33 has done it.
Last time out, the 39-year-old was mortal. He allowed three runs over six innings in a no-decision vs. Texas. Verlander passe d three-time Cy Young winner and former Tigers teammate Max Scherzer for the 14th-most strikeouts in MLB history with 3,147. Verlander is seven strikeouts away from tying Pedro Martinez (3,154).