Detroit Tigers vs Chicago White Sox Pick – 6/2/2025

As the Chicago White Sox prepare to host the Detroit Tigers on June 2, 2025, at Guaranteed Rate Field, the stakes are high for both teams, albeit for different reasons. The White Sox are struggling this season with a record of 18-41, while the Tigers are thriving at 39-21, showcasing a stark contrast in performance.

Starting for the White Sox will be Jonathan Cannon, who has had a rough season, holding a Win/Loss record of 2-6 and ranking as the 208th best starting pitcher in MLB according to advanced-stat Power Rankings. Cannon's 4.15 ERA suggests he has been fortunate, as indicated by his xFIP of 4.71, which is considerably higher. On the other hand, Jack Flaherty will take the mound for the Tigers, boasting a 3.94 ERA and ranking 59th in the league. Flaherty has been deemed unlucky this season, with a lower xFIP of 3.33, suggesting he might be poised for better outcomes.

The matchup favors the Tigers offensively, as they rank 9th in MLB, while the White Sox sit at 28th. The projections indicate that Cannon may struggle, predicting an average of 3.2 earned runs allowed today, along with a low strikeout rate against a high-strikeout Tigers lineup. Conversely, Flaherty's projections are more favorable, with an expected 2.6 earned runs allowed.

Given the Tigers' strong standing and the White Sox's ongoing challenges, this game could be pivotal for the underperforming Chicago squad, who will need to find a way to capitalize on their home field advantage if they hope to turn the tide.

Quick Takes Detroit Tigers:

Jack Flaherty's fastball velocity has decreased 1.1 mph this year (92.2 mph) below where it was last year (93.3 mph).

• Velocity is a key component to fastball success in generating strikeouts and preventing runs, so a pitcher whose velocity decreases will likely see worse results.

Riley Greene has big-time power (90th percentile) if he makes contact, but that's always far from assured (27.1% K%). Today, however, opposing pitcher Jonathan Cannon is a pitch-to-contact type (22nd percentile K%) — great news for Greene.

• If he is less likely to strikeout, he'll be more likely to make contact, which is often hard, home-run contact.

The Detroit Tigers have 3 bats in their projected batting order today with a high (i.e. over 27%) underlying K% (according to the leading projection system, THE BAT X) (Dillon Dingler, Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene).

• Teams that have multiple high-strikeout hitters will make it much easier for the opposing pitcher to record strikeouts

Quick Takes Chicago White Sox:

Jonathan Cannon is an extreme flyball pitcher (33.6% FB% via the leading projection system, THE BAT) and has the misfortune of pitching in the #5 HR venue in MLB in today's game.

• This pitcher's skill set does not match up particularly well with the park he's in today, which may lead to worse-than-usual performance.

This season, Andrew Benintendi has experienced a significant gain in his exit velocity on flyballs, now sitting at an average of 94.8 mph compared to last year's 92.3 mph mark.

• Most home runs are flyballs, and the harder those flyballs are hit, the more often they turn into home runs. This is a strong indicator of power.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT), the Chicago White Sox' bullpen projects as the 2nd-worst out of all the teams in Major League Baseball.

• Most bettors only consider the starting pitcher, but a weak bullpen sneakily creates an easier matchup for the opposing offense and boosts a game's runs.

Game Trends

• The Chicago White Sox have hit the 1st Five Innings (F5) Run Line in 23 of their last 39 games (+7.75 Units / 18% ROI)
• The Detroit Tigers have hit the Moneyline in 39 of their last 60 games (+14.55 Units / 17% ROI)
• Lenyn Sosa has hit the Hits Runs and RBIs Over in 13 of his last 20 games at home (+7.15 Units / 33% ROI)

Detroit Tigers vs Chicago White Sox Prediction

Predicted Final Score: Detroit Tigers 5.37, Chicago White Sox 4.27

• Date: June 2, 2025
• Venue: Guaranteed Rate Field
• Starting Pitchers:
  • Jack Flaherty - Tigers
  • Jonathan Cannon - White Sox

Get daily MLB picks here.