Thursday was originally going to be a day off for Cleveland and Chicago, but the teams will be playing a makeup game instead due to a rain postponement last month. The White Sox are coming off a 3-0 loss to Colorado on Wednesday, while Cleveland swept the Angels earlier this week. The Guardians hold a 4-game lead over Chicago in the American League Central standings.
Chicago has had as many ups and downs as any team in the majors this season, but the White Sox have been in contention in the AL Central for most of the year. They appeared to be quickly fading out of the hunt when they lost 10 games in a 12-game stretch at the end of August. However, they responded by winning nine of their next 11 games, giving themselves a fighting chance down the stretch. Chicago is coming off a costly three-game stretch against Oakland and Colorado, though, giving the White Sox zero breathing room. The White Sox are four games back of Cleveland in the standings, and they only have four games remaining with the Guardians this month.
This afternoon's final. pic.twitter.com/FEZbZ8vBNY
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) September 14, 2022
Their offense has been outstanding this year, tied with Toronto for the best batting average in the MLB (.262). First baseman Jose Abreu leads the way with 167 hits and 67 RBIs, hitting at a .310 clip. He is facing a Cleveland pitching staff that is No. 8 with an ERA of 3.59. Right-handed pitcher Lance Lynn is going to start for Chicago on Thursday afternoon. He allowed two runs (none earned) on three hits while striking out five and walking one across six innings against Oakland last Saturday. Lynn threw 72 of 107 pitches for strikes, with both runs following an error. He has thrown four consecutive quality starts and in six of his last eight starts. Lynn has five wins and one loss across those eight outings, lowering his season ERA from 5.87 to 4.07.