White Sox vs Astros Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for Opening Day (Houston Begins Title Defense With Win)

White Sox vs Astros Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for Opening Day (Houston Begins Title Defense With Win)

Updated:

White Sox vs. Astros Game Info

  • Date: Thursday, March 30, 2023
  • Time: 7:05 p.m. ET
  • Venue: Minute Maid Park -- Houston, TX
  • Coverage: ESPN & MLB.TV

Fresh off winning their second World Series championship in six seasons, the Houston Astros will kick off their title defense on Thursday with an Opening Day matchup against the Chicago White Sox.

The White Sox have playoff aspirations of their own this year after falling short last season, so they'll be looking to start the campaign with a win as well. Will Houston pick up where it left off with another win? Or will Chicago spoil the party?

White Sox vs. Astros Odds & Spread

  • All MLB betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
  • Moneyline: CHW: (+120) | HOU: (-142)
  • Spread: CHW: +1.5 (-176) | HOU: -1.5 (+146)
  • Total: 7.5 -- Over: (+100) | Under: (-122)

The Astros enter this American League matchup as home favorites on the spread and moneyline at FanDuel Sportsbook. This game also has a projected total of 7.5 runs, which is about average for Thursday's games.

White Sox vs. Astros Betting Trends

  • The Astros are 44-16 in their last 60 home games.
  • The White Sox are 1-6 in their last seven games following an off day.
  • Chicago is 8-20 in its last 28 games in Houston.
  • The under is 4-0-1 in Houston's last five games.

White Sox vs. Astros Prediction & Pick

The White Sox are coming off a disappointing 2022 campaign where they went 81-81, finishing third in the AL Central after winning the division in 2022.

With new manager Pedro Grifol at the helm, they'll look to turn the page behind ace Dylan Cease on Thursday. Cease was one of the best pitchers in baseball last year, going 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA and finishing runner-up to Justin Verlander in the AL Cy Young voting.

Verlander is no longer with the Astros, however, after signing with the New York Mets in the offseason. Framber Valdez will make the Opening Day start instead after making the All-Star team and leading the AL in innings last year.

Houston is also missing Jose Altuve, who will miss multiple months with a broken thumb. The Astros still have plenty of talent to compensate, however, and should earn the dub here after receiving their World Series rings.

Final Score Prediction: Astros: 4 | White Sox: 3

White Sox vs. Astros Best Bet

This game should be close and could go either way, as both teams have legitimate playoff hopes this year. Still, we're backing the Astros to win outright based on their dominance at home last year. They went a remarkable 55-26 at Minute Maid Park during the regular season in 2022, and the home crowd will still be buzzing from the World Series ceremony. Don't expect Houston to disappoint them.

Bet: Houston Astros ML (-142)

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.