Cleveland will play the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader in Chicago at 7:15 p.m. ET on FOX. The Guardians are opening the second half of the season on an 11-game road trip that includes stops in Boston and Tampa Bay. This story was published prior to Friday night’s series opener.
Cleveland got off to a slow start this season, going 7-12 through its first 19 games. The Guardians responded with a strong stretch that brought them one game above the .500 mark on May 9. However, they have been mired in mediocrity since then, never reaching what they believe is World Series potential. Cleveland lost seven games in an eight-game stretch earlier this month, but it won five of its final seven games prior to the All-Star break. The Guardians are in second place in the American League Central, trailing Minnesota by two games. They are also 2.5 games back of the final AL Wild Card spot.
Love a good family portrait. ??#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/NS3vEvVAsg
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) July 19, 2022
The Guardians are a strong offensive team, ranked ninth in the majors in batting average (.249). Shortstop Amed Rosario leads the way with 99 hits and a .291 average, while third baseman Jose Ramirez has 95 hits. Ramirez has also hit a team-high 19 home runs and driven in 75 runs. They will be facing a Chicago pitching staff that is No. 19 with an ERA of 3.98. Cleveland has not officially announced its starter for this game, but Konnor Pilkington is a likely option. He started the second game of the team’s last doubleheader two weeks ago, allowing three earned runs on six hits and a walk across five innings. Pilkington has a 4.24 ERA and 1.64 WHIP through 40.1 innings in the majors.