White Sox-Angels prediction: Picks, odds on Tuesday, June 27

After a walk-off win last night, the Los Angeles Angels look to continue their playoff push in the second game of a three-game set against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night. First pitch from Angel Stadium is set for 9:38 p.m. ET. Michael Kopech (3-6, 4.06 ERA) will take mound for Chicago, while MVP frontrunner Shohei Ohtani (6-3, 3.13) gets the ball for L.A.

The Angels enter as -190 favorites on the moneyline at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the White Sox checking in at +160. The run total is set at 8.5.

White Sox

Day to day: C Yasmani Grandal (jaw contusion)
Out: RP Garrett Crochet (left shoulder inflammation), 3B Yoan Moncada (lower back inflammation), SP Mike Clevinger (right biceps inflammation),INF Romy Gonzalez (right shoulder inflammation), RP Liam Hendriks (right elbow inflammation)

Angels

Out: 3B Anthony Rendon (left wrist contusion), RP Matt Moore (right oblique strain), SS Zach Leto (left oblique strain), RP Ben Joyce (right ulnar neuritis)

Michael Kopech vs. Shohei Ohtani

It seemed like Kopech had finally found a groove after a rough start, posting a 1.72 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 31.1 innings over five starts from May 19 to June 10. But the righty has lost it a little bit of late, giving up only one run but walking six batters and allowing six hits while lasting just 4.1 innings against the Seattle Mariners before getting roughed up by the Texas Rangers in his last outing. The key, as always, is the fastball: Kopech throws it a whopping 62.3% of the time, and when he has his best velocity and is elevating it in the zone consistently, he has success. When he's inconsistent with it, though, he doesn't have a lot of other ways to get hitters out.

Ohtani had been scuffling a bit (well, on the mound, certainly not at the plate), but he's coming off of his best start in quite a while, striking out 12 while allowing just one run in seven innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers last week. His command can come and go, and he's been going away from his slider of late despite the fact that it's his best pitch, but Ohtani still has all-up, all-in the most untouchable stuff of any starter in the Majors. He's struck out eight or more batters in eight of his 15 starts this year, and if he's around the strike zone as much as he was against L.A., he should feast on a White Sox lineup that's struggled with right-handed pitching all year.

Last night's final was just 2-1, as Dylan Cease and Reid Detmers matched each other zero for zero, and I'm sticking with that trend tonight. Chicago is a righty-heavy lineup that struggles to hit righty pitching – they have the sixth-highest K rate and sixth-lowest team OPS against right-handers in the month of June – and I have a hard time seeing them getting more than a run or two off of Ohtani. That means the Angels will have to do serious damage for this over to hit, and outside of their 25-run outburst at Coors Field last weekend, they've been struggling at the plate of late (five runs or more just three times in their last 11).

Pick: Under 8.5

Kopech's been shaky with his fastball command of late, and Chicago will need him to be at his best if they hope to conquer Ohtani on Tuesday night. I'm backing the Angels to win the game and the series.

Pick: Angels

  
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