The Chicago White Sox open a four-game home series against the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday night at Guaranteed Rate Field. First pitch is set for 7:40 PM ET. Cleveland enters with a 43-48 record, while Chicago sits at 31-62. The Guardians won the last matchup between the teams 6-1 back in April.
Both teams snapped long losing streaks in their most recent series. Cleveland swept Houston after losing 10 straight. Chicago just ended Toronto’s 10-game win streak with a 2-1 victory. The White Sox will start Jonathan Cannon, and Cleveland goes with Logan Allen.
White Sox Preview – Looking to Build on Big Win
Chicago got a strong pitching effort from Adrian Houser and clutch hits from Edgar Quero in their last win. Quero had two doubles, drove in one run, and scored another. The White Sox bullpen also held on, with Jordan Leasure locking down the save.
Jonathan Cannon gets the start for Chicago. He’s 3-7 with a 4.50 ERA. Cannon ended a six-start winless streak in his last outing, but he has struggled against Cleveland with a 7.59 ERA in two career starts.
The White Sox average 3.42 runs per game and allow 4.41. Their bullpen has a 3.97 ERA on the season but gave up 17 runs over the last three games. The team is 20-26 at home and ranks last in the American League standings.
Guardians Preview – Can Allen End the Slide?
Logan Allen will take the mound for Cleveland. He is 5-7 with a 4.07 ERA. In his last start, Allen went six innings and gave up just one run, but the Guardians lost 1-0 to Detroit.
Cleveland is scoring 3.66 runs per game and allowing 4.22. The team’s bullpen ERA is 3.63. The Guardians are 23-25 on the road and have covered the run line in 18 of their last 24 away games.
Jose Ramirez is out of the All-Star Game to rest an ankle. He went 5-for-12 with three homers and six RBIs in the series against Houston. Cleveland is 9-1 in its last 10 meetings with Chicago.
Betting Prediction
The Guardians are -126 favorites with the total set at 8.5. They’ve had recent success against the White Sox and hold a 9-1 head-to-head edge over the last 10 matchups. Cannon has not done well against Cleveland, while Allen has a 3.76 ERA in seven career starts vs. Chicago.
Both teams struggle to score, and recent games between them have trended under the total. With stronger pitching and better bullpen numbers, Cleveland is the safer side. A final score around 4-2 in favor of the Guardians seems likely.
Pick: Guardians -126
