White Sox vs. Pirates pick: MLB odds, predictions, best bets

There are plenty of aces on the mound across Major League Baseball on Friday, but my attention will be on 43-year-old Rich Hill of the Pirates as he takes on the White Sox.

Now pitching for his 12th team since making his MLB debut in 2005, Hill is becoming a marvel at this point in his career. 

He allowed three runs on three hits and two walks in five innings in his season debut, and though he took the loss, he was relatively effective with seven strikeouts. 

Though it’s hard to imagine Hill continuing to record whiffs at that rate, everything else about that outing feels like it ticked all the boxes for a typical start from the journeyman hurler.

Hill used to be able to rack up enough K’s to wiggle out of jams caused by his control issues, but it’s hard to count on that skill set anymore. 

White Sox vs. Pirates pick

(4:12 p.m. Eastern)

Hill’s counterpart Friday, Lucas Giolito, has a similar issue.

The 28-year-old had terrific strikeout numbers from 2019-21 but he never found his form in 2022. He struggled with walks and didn’t keep the ball in the yard.

Perhaps Giolito regains his form from his salad days, but he doesn’t get the vote of confidence after just one OK start this season. 

Neither Hill nor Giolito are likely to keep the base paths clear in this tilt, so there should be plenty of scoring opportunities for both of these offenses on Friday afternoon. 

White Sox vs. Pirates prediction

Over 8.5 runs (-105, PointsBet)