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While part of the sports world is betting on World Cup games, the other part is betting on when Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals will lose his first game. In his first game against an American League opponent, Strasburg helped the Nationals beat the Cleveland Indians. The Nationals fans are hoping that this kid is for real.

The Chicago White Sox take on the Washington Nationals as inter-league play continues. The White Sox are a far cry from the World Series team of 2005 as they are 7 ½ games out of first place in the AL Central with a record that is five games below .500 at 29-34. The White Sox have a losing record at home and on the road, but they have won six of their last 10 outings.

Stephen Strasburg may have turned the MLB betting world upside down, but not even he is enough to make the Nationals a contender for a pennant. The Nationals sit in the basement of a very competitive NL East. They have a better record than the White Sox at 31-34, but that still leaves them six games shy of first place Atlanta. The Washington fans are going to have to hope that the team can build a winner around Strasburg.

A World Cup contest includes superstars, role players and bench players that can elevate a team to victory. The Nationals only have the one superstar in Strasburg, and a bench that has been extremely inconsistent to this point. As a team the Nationals have a .262 batting average and have only hit 58 home runs this season. The Nationals can hit for extra bases as they have 19 triples this season. The problem for the Nationals is that they cannot hit with runners in scoring position. Their bats are improving, but the Nationals have a ways to go before they are able to convert runs consistently.

The White Sox sit at the bottom part of the league with a team batting average of .244, but they can hit the ball. The Sox have 74 home runs as a team this year, and that may be enough power to get to Stephen Strasburg. The one thing the White Sox have is control at the plate. As a team they have only struck out 314 times this season in 63 games. That is about five strike outs a game, and that is some pretty good control.

The Indians got to Strasburg a little bit and as he threw five walks to the Indians in only five innings of work. It could be that a patient batting line up may be able to hold Strasburg down long enough to finally be able to hit one of his multitude of pitches. The White Sox are hoping that patience is the key to beating Strasburg. The White Sox are also hoping that Mark Buehrle gets his form back on the mound as Buehrle co-holds the record for most inter-league wins with 21.

Pick: Chicago White Sox 3-1

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