White Sox On Six-Game Winning Streak
The Chicago White Sox go for a seventh straight win when they begin a three-game series with the division rival Cleveland Guardians on Monday night. Chicago is coming off a sweep of a three-game series against the host Boston Red Sox over the weekend and is in second place in the AL Central, three games behind the first-place Minnesota Twins. Cleveland took the final two games of its weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays and is just a half-game behind the White Sox in the AL Central standings. This will be a series between two of the hotter teams in baseball, so before you make any bet online on this contest, check out our in-depth preview.
Let’s check the latest MLB picks, stats, injury reports, and MLB odds for Guardians vs White Sox. We’ve plenty of MLB predictions.
Guardians Right In the Mix After Solid Run
The Cleveland Guardians had a seven-game losing streak near the end of April that put them at 7-12 on the season, but a three-game road sweep of the Oakland Athletics followed by a 4-2 homestand has them right back in the AL Central race. Now they begin a six-game road trip against the two teams ahead of them in the division standings, so they need to keep the run going.
Right-hander Zach Plesac will try to do just that when he gets the start in Monday’s contest. Plesac is 1-3 with a 4.44 ERA in five starts, and he’s struggled in his last two outings. Over his last two games, both losses, Plesac has allowed 12 runs (10 earned) over 8⅔ innings, striking out six and walking six.
First baseman Owen Miller had a big hit in Sunday’s win over the Toronto Blue Jays, tying the game in the eighth with a solo home run. Miller is getting more playing time recently, as he’s hitting .352 with 10 doubles, three home runs, 13 RBIs, and 19 runs scored.
Third baseman Jose Ramirez leads the Guardians with seven home runs and 30 RBIs, leading the majors in the latter category. Ramirez is batting .311 with eight doubles, two triples, and 16 runs scored.
White Sox Pitching Leads to Perfect Road Trip
The Chicago White Sox aren’t hitting the ball as well as they’d like to just yet, but the team’s pitching staff has been dominant of late, helping forge a perfect 5-0 record on the just-completed road trip. Chicago’s starting pitchers have held opponents to a cumulative .211 batting average and put up a 2.51 ERA over the past 13 games, while the team’s bullpen has been just as dominant.
“Those guys have been doing it since Day 1, really,” White Sox manager Tony La Russa said of his pitching staff after Sunday’s win. “(Bennett) Sousa’s done a really good job, (Matt) Foster has saved us, and (Jose) Ruiz, they’ve all (helped). (Ryan) Burr, was the first guy that had to do it in the seventh. That’s big. Nothing bigger than (starter) Dallas (Keuchel) pitching six innings, two runs, that’s the biggest.”
Right-hander Michael Kopech will make his sixth start of the season in the series opener. Kopech has yet to record a decision despite a 1.17 ERA, with his longest outing of the season being just five innings. The 26-year-old has 23 strikeouts and 11 walks over 23 innings of work.
Shortstop Tim Anderson was off on Sunday, so he should be ready to go for Monday’s opener. Anderson is batting .337 with five doubles, four home runs, nine RBIs, and 15 runs scored.
First baseman Jose Abreu has been heating up in the last week or so, batting .296 in the month of May to raise his season average to .239. He has five doubles, three home runs, 12 RBIs, and 15 runs scored.
Guardians vs White Sox Head-to-Head
The Cleveland Guardians would certainly like a repeat of the first series between these division rivals this season, which saw them sweep the Chicago White Sox in a three-game set. These two teams have gone back and forth in winning the season series, with the White Sox coming out on top 10-9 in 2021.
The two teams split 10 games at Guaranteed Rate Field last season, and Cleveland has won seven of its last 13 games as the visitors against Chicago. With the White Sox on a roll right now, though, the MLB lines are giving them the edge in the series opener.
Guardians vs White Sox Game Information
- Game: Guardians (14-14) vs White Sox (14-13)
- Location: Guaranteed Rate Field
- Day/Time: Monday, May 9, 8:10 p.m. ET
- Guardians vs White Sox Live stream: MLB.tv
Guardians vs White Sox Betting Lines
Guardians vs White Sox Prediction
The Chicago White Sox are starting to get healthy and are playing with a lot of confidence right now. Plesac has been struggling of late, and that’s going to be trouble for the Cleveland Guardians, who will fall to the White Sox for the first time this season.
When doing your MLB betting, take Chicago to get the win at home.
