White Sox vs Astros Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 31 (Cristian Javier Frustrates Chicago's Lineup)

White Sox vs. Astros Game Info

• Date: Friday, March 31, 2023
• Time: 8:10 p.m. ET
• Venue: Minute Maid Park -- Houston, TX
• Coverage: NBCSCH and ATT-SW

The 2023 MLB season continues on Friday with an exciting showdown between the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros. The Astros' title defense got started on the wrong foot as they fell to the White Sox by a score of 3-2 on Thursday. A 2-run double by Andrew Vaughn proved crucial in the win.

The White Sox will look to stay perfect as they send veteran Lance Lynn (3.52 career ERA) to the mound. On the other side, the Astros are trusting Cristian Javier (20-12 career record) to lead them to their first victory of the season. Which World Series contender will earn a win at Minute Maid Park?

White Sox vs. Astros Odds & Spread

• All MLB betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: CHW: (+126) | HOU: (-148)
• Spread: CHW: +1.5 (-172) | HOU: -1.5 (+142)
• Total: 8 -- Over: (-105) | Under: (-115)

The Astros enter this American League matchup as home favorites on the moneyline at FanDuel Sportsbook. This game also has a projected total of 8.5 runs, which ranks as the highest total on Friday's MLB slate.

White Sox vs. Astros Betting Trends

• The White Sox are 4-9 straight up in their last 13 games against an AL opponent.
• The total has hit the under in four of the White Sox's last five away games.
• Houston is 8-2 straight up in its last 10 home games against the White Sox.
• The total has hit the under in seven of Houston's last eight games in March.

White Sox vs. Astros Prediction & Pick

Thursday's game was the first time since 2012 that the Astros lost on Opening Day. The White Sox got a dominant outing from starter Dylan Cease (6.1 innings, 10 strikeouts & 1 earned run) and will need a similar stat line from Lynn if they want any chance of slowing down a deep Houston lineup.

The Astros averaged an impressive 4.56 runs per home game last season (No. 10 in MLB) and now have a game under their belt without Jose Altuve. That should help Kyle Tucker and Jeremy Pena get into a groove again, especially against a pitcher that hasn't faced Houston in nearly two years.

After all, the Astros may only need 2-3 runs to win given the arsenal of nasty pitches Javier brings to the table. The 26-year-old lines up as a sneaky Cy Young candidate considering he has has yet to post a losing record or an ERA above 3.55 in any of his first three MLB seasons. That is not easy.

Final Score Prediction: White Sox: 2 | Astros: 4

White Sox vs. Astros Best Bet

It's worth diving deeper into Javier here. The Dominican Republic native posted a strikeout per nine innings rate of 11.7 last season, which was far above the league average of 8.5. He can send a batter packing with his crazy four-seam fastball or switch it up with his devastating slider, too. Javier logged at least 7 strikeouts in five of his final six starts in 2022 and I see him picking up right where he left off.

Bet: Cristian Javier O6.5 Strikeouts (+108)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.