Best Bet
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Colorado Rockies at Chicago White Sox

By JR·2 min read
Colorado RockiesCOL(57-102)
Chicago White SoxCWS(82-77)
AT
6:40 PM CT

TLDR: The White Sox are over .500 in late September and still have something to play for. The Rockies have 102 losses and a flight home at the end of the week. Friday on the South Side, that gap shows up in every column.

FRI SEP 25, 6:40 PM
Spread
WIN
Total
Rockies
(57-102)
LLLLW
White Sox
(82-77)
WLWWW

A White Sox team over .500 and still playing meaningful September baseball hosts a 102-loss Rockies club that has lost 4 straight. Sean Burke is coming off his best start of the month, and Tomoyuki Sugano is a homer-prone veteran whose outings Colorado has been cutting short. Chicago's hot lineup against Colorado's thin staff is what decides this, and the board has the White Sox as clear favorites.

Rockies
  • Sugano allowed 1 hit over 5 last start
  • Scored 8 in Thursday's loss to Arizona
  • Lost 4 straight, including first 3 vs Arizona
  • Sugano has allowed 34 home runs
  • Staff gave up 12 Thursday, then traveled
White Sox
  • Offense scored 14, 9 and 8 recently
  • Burke: 6 innings, 1 run vs Detroit
  • 4-1 in the last 5
  • Castillo to IL Thursday, rotation thinner
  • Burke knocked out after 1⅓ earlier this month
  • Starters rarely going 6, pen workload heavy

Sean Burke (10-7, 3.40) gets the ball against Tomoyuki Sugano (12-11, 5.36) at 6:40 PM CT at Rate Field. Burke's September has gone both ways. The Pirates chased him after 1⅓ innings and 7 runs early in the month. Then he beat Detroit 3-1 with 6 innings of 1-run ball, and that made him the first White Sox starter to finish 6 innings in 27 games. Sugano's last 2 starts look like 2 different pitchers: 6 runs on 8 hits against San Diego, then 1 hit over 5 innings against Seattle before he got pulled.

Tomoyuki Sugano
Tomoyuki Sugano
(12-11)·5.36 ERA
Sep 20 vs Mariners
L
5.0IP
1ER
5K
2BB
72P
09/25 Lineup
Sean Burke
Sean Burke
(10-7)·3.40 ERA
Sep 19 vs Tigers
W
6.0IP
1ER
5K
3BB
97P
09/25 Lineup

Sugano didn't hide how he felt about that hook. He told reporters he wasn't aware he was only going 5 and thought he could have gone 7, while manager Warren Schaeffer had planned to bring Ryan Feltner in behind him in a piggyback role. Expect Colorado to manage his pitch count in a lost season again. On the Chicago side, Luis Castillo went on the 15-day IL Thursday with right shoulder impingement. That doesn't touch this start, but it thins out a rotation that has had trouble covering innings all month. The board makes Chicago a clear favorite.

The White Sox bats are what make this one worth a look. Chicago put up 14, 9 and 8 runs in 3 of their last 5 games, went 4-1 over that stretch, and won 2 of the first 3 in Kansas City. The Sun-Times called the win over Detroit crucial, which tells you how the South Side is treating the final week.

Colorado Rockies
(57-102)
09/24LvsDiamondbacks8-12
09/23LvsDiamondbacks3-5
09/22LvsDiamondbacks2-7
09/20LvsMariners1-2
09/19WvsMariners5-3
Chicago White Sox
(82-77)
09/24W@Royals9-1
09/23L@Royals4-5
09/22W@Royals14-11
09/20WvsTigers8-1
09/19WvsTigers3-1

Colorado has lost 4 straight, including the first 3 against Arizona, and the offense produced 1, 2 and 3 runs in 3 of those losses. The Rockies finally scored 8 in Thursday's day game and still gave up 12. Sugano is 36, a free agent after the year, and has served up 34 homers. Putting that against a lineup this hot is a bad matchup for Colorado.

Colorado Rockies
(7)
  • 10-Day-ILWilli Castro (2B) — Castro (heel/knee) said Wednesday that he will miss the remainder of the 2026 season.09/17
  • 60-Day-ILChase Dollander (SP) — Dollander underwent an internal brace procedure on his right elbow Monday.06/23
  • 60-Day-ILWelinton Herrera (RP) — Herrera (elbow) has been diagnosed with a torn UCL and will miss the remainder of the season.06/02
  • 60-Day-ILMcCade Brown (SP) — Brown (shoulder) had been scheduled to throw a live bullpen session this weekend.06/01
  • 60-Day-ILRJ Petit (RP) — The Rockies transferred Petit (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Thursday.05/08
  • 60-Day-ILPierson Ohl (RP) — The Rockies placed Ohl (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.05/08
  • 60-Day-ILKris Bryant (DH) — The ongoing pain in his back continues to prevent him from participating in baseball activities, though he's still consulting with doctors and trainers for potential rehab options.05/08
Chicago White Sox
(8)
  • 10-Day-ILJoey Bart (C) — Bart is expected to be sidelined for "over a month" due to a left hand fracture.08/07
  • 15-Day-ILNewLuis Castillo (SP) — The White Sox placed Castillo on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a right shoulder impingement.09/24
  • 60-Day-ILPrelander Berroa (RP) — Berroa (elbow) is scheduled to begin throwing off a mound next week.09/03
  • 60-Day-ILKy Bush (SP) — Bush (elbow) has been shut down for the 2026 season due to a strained left lat.09/03
  • 60-Day-ILJordan Leasure (RP) — Leasure underwent surgery to repair a torn UCL in August.08/31
  • 60-Day-ILMike Vasil (RP) — The White Sox transferred Vasil (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Tuesday.05/08
  • 60-Day-ILTanner Murray (LF) — The White Sox transferred Murray (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list Monday.05/08
  • 60-Day-ILBrooks Baldwin (LF) — The White Sox transferred Baldwin (elbow) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.05/08

The Rockies' injury list reads like a medical chart: Kris Bryant's back, Willi Castro done for the year, and a stack of elbows through the rotation and bullpen. Chicago has its own list, but most of it is long-term, and Castillo is the only new name. The Rockies finish a 100-loss season. The White Sox play games that matter to them.

Live Odds

Colorado Rockies at Chicago White Sox — White Sox Hand Burke the Ball Against a Rockies Club Already Packing | Polymarket Odds · Barstool Bush