This Thursday the (81-67) Cleveland Guardians and the (76-72) Chicago White Sox will play the final game of this three-game series. The first pitch will be thrown out at 8:10 PM EST inside Guaranteed Rate Field. The last time that these two teams matched up, they ended up splitting a short two-game series.
The Cleveland Guardians came into this one after winning their five-game series against the Minnesota Twins. The Guardians won four of five games and their pitching continued to dominate. They will need to stay consistent on the mound if they want to finish this series strong against the White Sox.
The Chicago White Sox are entering this one after winning their previous series against the Detroit Tigers. The White Sox bats were great in their last series, as they scored 11 runs in the final game. They will need to stay hot at the dish if they want to challenge the Guardians in this one.
This game was written/published before last night's results.
The Cleveland Guardians currently sit at the top of the AL Central, as they have a 5.0-game lead over the White Sox. The Guardians are also 8-2 in their last 10 and they are still holding on to the third seed in the AL Playoff race.
At the plate, the Guardians are scoring 4.26 runs per game and they are hitting .252 as a team. This is the 19th most runs scored per game and the 10th highest overall team batting average. They have shown that they can consistently reach base safely, as they have been stringing together hits all season. Watch for Steven Kwan at the dish, as he is hitting .295. Kwan has been one of the most consistent hitters on the team in 2022. Cleveland has also realized that they don't have as much power as they originally thought. They are only averaging .79 home runs per game, which is the second least in the MLB. I would expect the Guardians to stay aggressive once they reach base safely, as wel l. They have already stolen 103 bases this season, which is the third most in the league.
According to MLB.com, the Guardians will be starting Shane Bieber on the mound. He is currently 11-8 with a 2.83 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. In his last start, he pitched for 8.0 innings and he only allowed one earned run. This was also his third straight win. Bieber has been great on the road this season, as well. He is currently 7-3 with a 2.67 ERA outside of his home ballpark. The Guardian's bullpen is also very good. They are only allowing 3.12 runs per game, which is the fifth least in the MLB. As a team, they are allowing 3.99 runs per game, as this is the eighth least in the entire league.