The Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox will square off on Wednesday night at US Cellular Field in Chicago. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our MLB odds series, which includes a Guardians-White Sox prediction and pick, laid out below.
The Cleveland Guardians have won two games in a row, bringing their record to 81-67, pulling away with the AL Central as the season winds down. Cleveland now holds a five-game lead over Chicago and has a magic number down to ten.
Chicago has slipped to the fringes of playoff contention, with a 76-72 record that places them in second place in the Al Central, five games behind Cleveland. Chicago is now five and a half games out of the final AL Wild Card spot. The remaining two games in this series could make or break Chicago's season.
Here are the Guardians-White Sox MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Guardians-White Sox Odds
Cleveland Guardians: +1.5 (-184)
Chicago White Sox: -1.5 (+152)
Over: 8 (-106)
Under: 8 (-114)
Why The Guardians Could Cover The Spread
Triston McKenzie is tonight's starting pitcher for Cleveland. In 28 appearances, and 27 starts, McKenzie has gone 10-11 with 167 strikeouts and a 3.08 ERA in 172.1 innings. Batters are hitting just .202 against McKenzie, the lowest rate amongst the qualified pitchers for Cleveland. Cleveland's excellent bullpen is headlined by closer Emmanuel Clase, who has 36 saves and 66 strikeouts in 64.2 innings, with a 1.39 ERA. Sidearming righty Nick Sandlin has pitched to a 2.20 ERA in 41 innings, with batters hitting just .176 against him. Trevor Stephan has pitched to a 2.75 ERA with 75 strikeouts in 59 innings. Stephan has struck out 30.2 percent of the batters he has faced. James Karinchak has appeared in 31 games since returning from the injured list, pitching to a 1.67 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 32.1 innings. Batters have hit just .118 against Karinchak's high-spin fastball, which averages about 95 mph.
Cleveland's offense has surprised a bit this season. Jose Ramirez, the usual ring leader of the group, leads the team with 28 home runs, 115 RBI, and 42 doubles, ranking second with 17 stolen bases. Josh Naylor has turned in a career year, with 18 home runs and 24 doubles. Andres Gimenez leads the team with a .297 batting average, with 25 doubles and 16 home runs, all career highs. Rookie Steven Kwan is hitting .295, second on the team, with 22 doubles, four home runs, and more walks than strikeouts. Cleveland has struck out the least in the league, going down on strikes just 1,013 times.
Why The White Sox Could Cover The Spread
Lance Lynn will look to continue his hot streak in this one. On the season, Lynn has pitched to a 3.99 ERA with 113 strikeouts in 103.2 innings. In his last seven starts, Lynn has been brilliant, spinning a 1.43 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 44 innings. In his last three starts, Lynn has tossed 19.1 innings, allowing just two earned runs while striking out 22 batters. Kendall Graveman headlines this bullpen, with a 2.92 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 61.2 innings. Closer Liam Hendriks has registered 33 saves while striking out 76 in 53.2 innings. Batters have hit just .214 against the Australian closer.
Andrew Vaughn leads the team with 17 home runs and 73 RBI, hitting .286 on the season. Jose Abreu leads the team with a .308 average and 35 doubles, ranking second with 15 home runs and 72 RBI. Eloy Jimenez is finally healthy, hitting .311 with 14 home runs and 50 RBI in just 73 games. Elvis Andrus, picked up off the scrap heap as depth while Tim Anderson heals, has mashed in his six weeks with the club. Andrus has hit .317 with six home runs and seven doubles in 29 games with the club. Chicago ranks second in the league with a .261 team batting average.
Final Guardians-White Sox Prediction & Pick
McKenzie and Lynn should be a really good pitching matchup.
Final Guardians-White Sox Prediction & Pick: Cleveland +1.5 (-184), over 8 (-106)
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