The Cleveland Guardians play host tot he Chicago White Sox in a Saturday night shown from Progressive Field. These two AL Centrals foes find themselves in different positions as August kicks off, as the Guardians remain in the thick of the playoff race, while the White Sox continue to wonder what went wrong this season. These two teams are very well familiar with each other this season and across ten meetings this year prior to this weekend, the White Sox clung to a 6-4 series lead. The Guardians might be in first place but this one could go either way.
The White Sox turned some heads a few years ago but despite keeping intact quite a bit of their core, they have struggled the last few seasons to match expectations. They sit with a 43-67 record, which is good for fourth-place in the division, and likely means another season without a playoff appearance. They do remain dangerous, which is bad news for opponents over the next few months, but going on the road could be a challenge. They have a dreadful 20-38 record in road games this season and even though they won't be going far, simply being at Progressive Field is enough to alter their confidence. Adding in that they've gone 2-8 over their last ten games and it's starting to look like this group may have given up on the season.
According to MLB.com, Michael Kopech will get the ball for the White Sox. The righty has shown flashes of brilliance over the last two seasons, though his numbers tell another story. He brings in a 4-10 record and 4.49 ERA and has struggled to eat up innings too. His last start was actually against the Guardians as well, as he only went five innings, but only allowed four hits and three runs. If he can put out a similar performance, he'll at least give the offense a chance.
Chicago's offense is hitting .234 as a team and have leaned heavily on the home run ball to keep them in games. One piece of good news is that they've been able to avoid injuries this season and only have Romy Gonzalez (shoulder) ruled out when it comes to the lineup. Andrew Benintendi (.279 average) has been a key addition, while Luis Robert (29 homeruns, 60 RBI) is the straw that stirs the drink for this group. With plenty of experience behind them, this group has the potential to be dangerous if they can put everything together on Saturday night.