The Chicago White Sox (80-76) open a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium against the Kansas City Royals (67-89), and the ChiSox enter play a game back of the Cleveland Guardians for first place in the American League Central Division.

Chicago has an impressive 31-18 record inside the division, including a 7-3 mark against Kansas City. These two teams haven’t met in Kansas City since April 9-12, when the teams split a four-game set.

The White Sox turn to LHP Anthony Kay (9-9, 4.41 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) for his 30th start and 32nd appearance of the season. The bottom has fallen out for the southpaw lately, though, as he is 0-4 with a 6.00 ERA and 1.39 WHIP across 33 IP in the past seven starts.

On the flip side, the Royals, who have been eliminated for quite some time, will counter with LHP Daniel Lynch IV (6-5, 3.29 ERA, 1.07 WHIP). He is making his ninth start, and 55th appearance, as he transitions to a starting role.

White Sox vs. Royals Tuesday Best Bets

Chicago has managed a 21-26 mark this season against left-handed starting pitchers, while Kansas City is a dismal 12-31 against southpaws in 2026. The Royals’ mark against lefties is easily the worst mark in the majors.

The White Sox won three of four games against the Detroit Tigers over the weekend, snapping back on track after a 5-12 record in a 17-game span from Aug. 30 to Sept. 18.

The Royals were swept in a three-game interleague series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, getting outscored 18-13, with a pair of one-run losses. Kansas City is also a dismal 1-7 in the past eight games, and 5-14 in the past 19 outings since Aug. 30.

Neither of these teams is playing very well, so we’re going to side with the team with the most on the line. The WHITE SOX (-120) are the play as slight favorites on the road, and they’re worth a look.

While I certainly don’t love Chicago, at no point has Kansas City shown any signs of life against lefties this season. And, if both pitchers are knocked out early, the White Sox have one of the better bullpens in the majors at 3.68, while the bullpen for the Royals ranks 30th in the majors with a 5.04 ERA.

Let’s look to the UNDER 8 (-105) in this AL Central series opener, but go rather lightly. The Under has cashed in the past two starts by Lynch, and the Under is 12-2 in the past 14 games for Kansas City. The Over is 5-0 in the past five starts by Kay, which is why taking the Under gives us some pause. The side is the much better play here.