Chicago RHP Johnny Cueto continues to defy expected production. He’s been fantastic on the road with 1.70 ERA without having a high strikeout rate. As embarrassing as the series against Baltimore was for the Rangers, they simply were facing a red-hot team. Look for Texas to take out its frustrations on the White Sox and deliver a solid performance at the plate. They’ll get the win in LHP Cole Ragans' major-league debut.

I actually was going to pick the White Sox here last night at -125 ... but I wanted to make sure Tim Anderson didn't start serving his suspension (he isn't) and that Luis Robert was back in the lineup (he is). In fact, it's probably the best White Sox lineup of the season, and that group gets to face a Rangers rookie lefty in his first big-league start. I'm a Pale Hose fan and it would be so "them" to blow this golden opportunity and ruin momentum, or for "Sleepy" Tony LaRussa to accidentally start 64-year-old Ron Kittle on the mound, but I say bollocks to the SportsLine Curse and am joining everyone else on Chicago.

The White Sox have a better road record (28-22) than home mark (25-29). They sport a league-best .272 road batting average, with Jose Abreu hitting .357 in away games. Johnny Cueto is 3-1 with a 1.70 ERA on the road. The White Sox are averaging 5.19 runs per game versus left-handed starters, and tonight they face Texas southpaw Cole Ragans, who's making his MLB debut. Over the last 45 days, the Rangers' bullpen has been among the 10 worst in baseball. Lay it with the White Sox.

Johnny Cueto has actually been very good this season for the White Sox, and he has pitched a quality start in 10 of 13 games this season. He was 2-0 with a 2.12 ERA in July. The Rangers also just aren’t hitting right now as we saw in their series against the Os. They are 9-17 in their last 30 days and 4-9 at home while the White Sox were 15-11. The White Sox are also much better on the road at 28-22. Cole Ragans will be making his Major League debut for the Rangers and he has the third worst bullpen in the league in the last 30 days behind him while the White Sox are ranked 6th. Ragans has been pitching well lately in the Minors and he has a high strikeout rate, but the debut jitters are real and he won’t get deep in the game.

The Rangers are starting southpaw prospect Cole Ragans, who has dominated at AA and AAA this season. That's a far cry from facing the White Sox, who rank second in the AL with a .773 OPS versus left-handed pitching. Chicago has won four of five and sends out Johnny Cueto. The 36-year-old is in excellent form, having compiled a 2.12 ERA over five July starts. Jose Abreu, who won AL August Player of the Month in 2020 and 2021, has started this August strong too with two homers and six RBI in three games. Look for the White Sox to beat Texas for the eighth time in the last 11 matchups.