Chicago White Sox to beat Detroit Tigers

The White Sox have looked like World Series contenders so far this season, going 38-24 including 10 wins in their last 14 games.

Chicago ranks inside the top five teams in MLB for runs per game, average, OBP and OPS this season, and has also got great performance out of its rotation all season.

Starting on Friday will be Lucas Giolito, who is 5-5 with a 3.88 ERA but has taken the decision in four of his last six starts. He’s given up 14 runs in 39 innings during that period, with nine of those runs coming in two games.

The Tigers, meanwhile, are 26-36 and have gone 15-16 at home. They beat the Seattle Mariners 8-3 on Thursday but have gone 3-4 across their last seven games.

On the mound for Detroit will be Tarik Skubal. The left-hander has earned the win in his last two starts, but he’s 3-7 on the season with a 4.33 ERA.

Tampa Bay Rays to beat Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles have started to turn things around since winning just five games in May, but they’re still just 22-39 on the season and are coming off a 1-14 defeat to the New York Mets.

They now face the best team in baseball, the Rays, who are 39-24 this season and have gone 20-5 since 13 May. They rank fourth in the major leagues in run differential, while the Orioles rank 28^th.

On the mound for Tampa Bay for this one will be Ryan Yarborough, who is 3-3 with a 3.95 ERA and is coming off his best start of the season. He pitched a complete game against the New York Yankees last Thursday, allowing just two runs on six hits and taking the decision.

He takes on Keegan Akin, who pitched five scoreless innings against the Cleveland Indians last time out and claimed the win. The rookie has a solid 3.60 ERA after six appearances this season, but he’s only made two starts so far and now faces his toughest test to date.

Los Angeles Angels to beat Arizona Diamondbacks

Shohei Ohtani is having an incredible season for the Angels. The Japanese two-way star is currently batting .262 and is third in MLB with 17 home runs, while simultaneously going 2-1 in eight starts on the mound with an impressive 2.76 ERA.

Ohtani gets the start on Friday against the Diamondbacks, who have lost their last seven games in a row to fall to 20-43 on the season, five games adrift at the bottom of the NL West.

The Angels, meanwhile, have won five of their last six games, including a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals in which they won 8-3, 8-1 and 6-1.

That makes this a tough assignment for Arizona starter Merrill Kelly, who is 2-6 this season with a 5.12 ERA and has given up 10 runs in 12.2 total innings in his last two starts.

Los Angeles Dodgers to beat Texas Rangers

The Dodgers haven’t quite hit top form this season after winning the World Series in 2020, but they’re only 1.5 games back in the NL West with a 37-25 record and just swept the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-0 on the road.

Los Angeles has gone 19-10 at home this season and now hosts a Rangers team that is 9-23 on the road and sits bottom of the AL West after losing 12 of its last 14 games.

The Dodgers will start Clayton Kershaw, who has taken the loss in his last two starts but is still 7-5 on the season with a solid ERA of 3.66. He should get back to his best against a Texas offense that ranks near the bottom of the major leagues in runs per game, average, slugging and OBP.

Kershaw should hold a clear advantage over Rangers starter Mike Foltynewicz, who is 1-6 with a 4.75 ERA this season and has taken the loss in back-to-back starts, the last of which lasted just 3.2 innings.