MLB (1 Pick)
1:07pm est: White Sox ML +165 (3 Units)
Michael Kopech is off to a tough start in 2023 but he’s bound to turn it on eventually. He pitched to a 3.5 ERA in 2021 and a 3.54 ERA in 2022. Right now, he’s sporting a 6.97. He showed signs of breaking out in his last start vs Tampa. He allowed 5 earned runs, 4 of which came in the first inning. However, in the following 4 innings he allowed just 1 ER and struck out 8 batters. He had a good start vs the Pirates, going 6 innings and allowing just 1 ER then went 5 innings and giving up 3 ER to Baltimore. His ERA’s inflated from his first and last start.
Yusei Kikuchi has been sharp in all but 1 start for Toronto. He’s allowed 1 ER in 3 of 4 starts but the Angels nailed him for 6 in his second start. He owns a career 4.96 ERA and pitched to a 5.19 ERA for Toronto last season. He has an xERA of 5.04 compared to his actual ERA of 3.8. CWS Lineup is better vs LHP too. Their offense ranks 25th on the year but 19th vs LHP. In 2022 they finished as the 18th ranked offense but ranked 7th vs LHP.
Kopech’s proven he can dominate an MLB lineup and he locked in after that rough first inning against Tampa. The Rays average just 8.08 strikeouts per game, 7th best mark in baseball. He was dicing them up. Good value on this line.
