The Chicago White Sox try to bounce back from a shutout loss when they face the Cleveland Guardians in the last of a five-game series between AL Central rivals on Sunday. The series finale is scheduled for a 1:10 p.m. ET first pitch at Progressive Field in Cleveland.
After shutting out the Indians on Friday night, the White Sox had the tables turned on them on Saturday, falling 6-0. Chicago is 87-68 and has won the AL Central crown, coming into Sunday’s action with the fifth-best record in the American League.
Cleveland improved to 76-78 with Saturday’s win, its sixth straight game of going back and forth between wins and losses. The Indians are in second place in the AL Central, 10½ games behind the first-place White Sox and one game ahead of the third-place Detroit Tigers.
The MLB lines for this contest have the White Sox with a moneyline of -155, while the Indians are listed at +140 if you’re betting online. The over/under for the series finale has been set at 8½ runs.
Power Outage
Even in Friday’s win over Cleveland, the White Sox managed just one run, and Saturday’s game was worse, with the team recording just three hits. Shortstop Tim Anderson went 0-for-4 to snap his eight-game hit streak, striking out twice.
First baseman Jose Abreu did have one of the hits, putting him at 5-for-15 in this series. The reigning AL MVP is batting just .167 in 54 at-bats against the Indians this season, with two home runs and seven RBIs.
Right-hander Lucas Giolito will make the start for the series finale on Sunday. Giolito is 10-9 with a 3.70 ERA this season and will be making his third start in September.
Giolito is coming off a solid performance against Texas on Sept. 19, as he went 5⅓ innings and allowed one run on six hits, earning his 10th win. This will be Giolito’s third start against Cleveland this season, as he’s gone 0-1 despite a 0.73 ERA against the Indians.
Milestone Run?
Third baseman José Ramirez had a home run, three RBIs, and a stolen base in Saturday’s win. Ramirez now has 36 home runs and 26 stolen bases as he looks to record the fourth 30-30 season in Cleveland franchise history.
“José is the best third baseman in the AL, probably the entire league,” Cleveland pitcher Eli Morgan said after Saturday’s win. “Seeing how much fun he has with the game and the way he acts in the dugout, it’s fun, and it’s really cool to watch.”
The 25-year-old Morgan was cool to watch on Saturday as well, as he went six innings and allowed just one run in picking up the fourth win in his rookie MLB season. The Indians are finding some young pitchers to hopefully build around in the future.
Another one of those young pitchers, 24-year-old right-hander Triston McKenzie, will get the start on Sunday. McKenzie is 5-7 with a 4.67 ERA, though he’s struggled against the White Sox.
In four starts against Chicago this season, McKenzie is 0-1 with an 11.15 ERA. He’s gone 2-2 with a 4.03 ERA in four September starts, but he’s coming off a rough outing, going 4⅓ innings against Kansas City on Monday and allowing seven runs on nine hits, including three home runs.
Outfielder Franmil Reyes had an RBI single in Saturday’s win, his first RBi in seven games. Reyes is batting .234 against the White Sox this season, hitting two doubles and a home run and driving in eight runs.
Sox Win Finale
McKenzie really struggled in his last outing, and the White Sox offense is due for a breakout game. Look for Chicago to get some runs on the board to make things easier for Giolito to get the team a win.
When doing your MLB betting, take Chicago to win on the road.
