Guardians vs. White Sox: Key September Showdown for AL Central Lead
The Cleveland Guardians (80-67) face the Chicago White Sox (76-71) in a crucial AL Central showdown at Guaranteed Rate Field. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m.
Game Details:
- White Sox are favored at (-167)
- Guardians moneyline: +145
- Over/Under: 7.5 runs
Pitching Matchup:
- Guardians: Aaron Civale (2-6, 5.40 ERA, 1.31 WHIP)
- White Sox: Dylan Cease (14-7, 2.16 ERA, 1.08 WHIP)
Key Points:
- Guardians lead AL Central by 4 games with 15 remaining
- Cleveland has won 8 of their last 10 games
- Jose Ramirez leads Guardians offense (.279, 28 HR, 113 RBI)
- Dylan Cease is an AL Cy Young contender (+420 odds)
- Andrew Vaughn paces White Sox with .288 AVG, 17 HR
Series Impact: The Guardians can virtually clinch the division with a series win, while the White Sox need a strong showing to stay in contention. Cleveland enters hot but faces a tough test against Cease, who struggled in his last outing (3 runs in 5 innings vs Colorado).
Notable Trend: Guardians are 5-1 in their last 6 games but 1-4 in their last 5 against the White Sox.
Head-to-Head: Eloy Jimenez has hit .455 with 2 HR against Civale in 11 career at-bats.