Lt Profits Free Pick: Chicago White Sox (100)
Sun May 25 ‘08 8:05p - Click Here for Baseball Odds
The Los Angeles Angels have taken the first two games of this series, but we are looking for the Chicago White Sox to avoid the home sweep in the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game.

Chicago’s Jose Contreras is having a fine year with a 3.17 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 59.2 innings, and he is in peak form right now. Contreras has allowed exactly one run in each of his last three starts while allowing a grand total of just 14 hits in 20 innings. Furthermore, he is working on an amazing streak of 10 consecutive Quality Starts against the Angels, and he has allowed exactly one earned run in four of his last six starts against them.

One of those outings came this year in Anaheim, where he allowed only four hits in seven innings of a 6-1 White Sox victory. Also, should Contreras be in need of relief, Chicago ranks eighth in the Major Leagues with a 3.31 bullpen ERA. Comparatively, the Angels rank 28th with a 4.55 pen ERA.

Now John Lackey has certainly been sharp in his first two starts off of the Disabled List, allowing two runs in 14 innings. However, he is simply running into a hot pitcher here, and if both starters keep their respective opponents in check and this becomes a battle of the bullpens, the advantage would surely be with the White Sox. Besides, Lackey has been just average in his last four starts vs. the White Sox, allowing a total of 13 earned runs in 28 innings.

We look for the White Sox to scrape together a couple of more run off of Lackey than we expect the red-hot Contreras to give up, and for the Chicago bullpen to seal the deal.

MLB Free Pick: White Sox +100