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Posted at 11:00 AM EST. Odds are subject to change.

Chicago White Sox -1½ +165 over Minnesota

7:40 PM EST. The first thing that jumps off the page in this matchup is the betting line itself.

The White Sox are favored despite handing the ball to a pitcher making his major-league debut. That immediately raises a question: what exactly is the market seeing here? If Minnesota truly had a significant edge on the mound, the Twins would not be taking back plus money. Seems to us that oddsmakers are dangling a carrot here. 

Connor Prielipp (LHP - MIN) has posted respectable surface numbers through six starts. His 4.00 ERA is backed by a solid 3.75 expected ERA, and he has struck out 30 batters in 29 innings. Those are certainly respectable numbers and suggest legitimate major-league ability. However, if those numbers were translating into a meaningful starting-pitching advantage, Minnesota would not be walking into Chicago as an underdog.

The White Sox will counter with David Sandlin (RHP - CHW), who makes his major-league debut after forcing the organization's hand with a dominant stretch at Triple-A. Sandlin struck out 33% of the hitters he faced in the minors while showcasing a mid-90s fastball and a deep four-pitch mix. The strikeout ability is very real. Command remains the biggest question mark, as walks have followed him throughout his development, but the raw arsenal is far better than what most pitchers bring into their first big-league appearance.

There is also an element of upside that cannot be ignored. Debuting pitchers can be difficult to prepare for because opposing hitters have little major-league video, limited familiarity with sequencing and no established tendencies to exploit. Sandlin enters with confidence, swing-and-miss stuff and the benefit of facing a Minnesota lineup that has been inconsistent for much of the season.

What makes this play attractive isn't necessarily the rookie pitcher. It's the price.The market is effectively telling us that Chicago deserves to be favored despite the uncertainty surrounding Sandlin's first start. That's a strong statement. Oddsmakers are not in the business of handing out discounts. If the Twins possessed a clear advantage behind Prielipp, this number would look considerably different.

Chicago's offense has quietly shown signs of life recently and now faces a left-handed starter whose strikeout numbers are solid but whose overall profile is hardly dominant. Prielipp has been good, not great. Meanwhile, Sandlin possesses the type of electric stuff capable of outperforming expectations immediately.

The plus-money run line adds another layer of value. If the White Sox win behind a strong debut from Sandlin, there's a reasonable chance they do so by multiple runs. The difference between laying a modest favorite price and taking a substantial plus return on the run line is worth the additional risk.

Perhaps Sandlin struggles under the bright lights of his debut. That's always possible. But when a rookie starter is favored in his first major-league appearance against an opponent with a seemingly respectable starting pitcher, it's usually worth paying attention.

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