The Chicago White Sox (73-70) are on the road to face the Cleveland Guardians (76-65) at Progressive Field on Thursday for the first of a one-game series. The White Sox split their last series against the Rockies, dropping the finale 3-0 on Wednesday at Guaranteed Rate Field. Andrew Vaughn was 2 for 3 with a double. The Guardians are in the midst of a nine-game homestand. They are coming off a three-game sweep of the Angels, taking the finale 5-3 on Wednesday at Progressive Field for their sixth straight win. Oscar Gonzalez’s on-base streak hit 10 as he went 3 for 4 with a solo home run. Jose Ramirez added a home run and two RBIs.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Guardians have won nine of 15 in the season series between the AL Central rivals, although they dropped a close one 2-0 in their last meeting on August 20 at Progressive Field. Johnny Cueto threw 8.2 scoreless innings to get the win, and Liam Hendriks pitched 0.1 scoreless innings to pick up his 28th save.
ON THE MOUND
Lance Lynn (6-5, 4.34 ERA) is in line to take the mound for Chicago. The righty allowed two runs (zero earned) over six innings in his last start, a 10-2 home win over the Athletics on Saturday. He earned the win, giving up three hits while striking out five and walking one. Over three previous starts against the Guardians this season, Lynn has allowed nine earned runs over 15.2 innings (0-1, 5.17). He has struck out 15 and walked four. Left-hander Hunter Gaddis (0-1, ERA) will toe the rubber for Cleveland. It’s his first appearance of the season against the White Sox. In his last start on August 5, Gaddis took the loss at home against the Astros. He threw 3.1 innings and gave up eight runs on seven hits, striking out two and walking two in the 9-3 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
The Chicago offense is averaging 4.3 runs per game for the season, with a slash line of .262/.318/.392. Jose Abreu leads the team in OPS at .843. The first baseman is slashing .312/.386/.457 with 15 home runs, 67 RBIs, and 79 runs over 141 games. Against southpaws like Gaddis this season, the Sox have a .802 OPS, second highest in the league. AJ Pollock is the team’s most productive hitter against left-handers with a 1.006 OPS in 105 at-bats. Cleveland is slashing .251/.313/.379 for the season and averaging 4.2 runs per game. Ramirez leads the team with a .881 OPS. The third baseman has 27 home runs, 111 RBIs, and 79 runs scored with a slash line of .280/.355/.525. The Guardians have a .711 OPS against righties in 2022. With a .923 OPS over 385 at-bats, Ramirez also has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Chicago is 38-33 on the road in 2022, scoring 4.4 runs per game while allowing 3.7 runs. Cleveland has won three in a row at Progressive Field. The Guardians are 36-30 at home this season, averaging 3.9 runs per game while surrendering 4.0. Cleveland is 6-4 in the last 10 meetings at Progressive Field with an average scoreline of 3.9-2.8.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Guardians lead the AL Central by three games over the White Sox. The White Sox are fifth in the Wild Card race, six games out of third.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Cleveland Guardians (+125)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
