Hector Noesi (0-1, 3.86 ERA) and Trevor Bauer (2-0, 0.95 ERA) take the hill in the second of a three-game series between the Chicago White Sox (5-7) and the Cleveland Indians (4-8) at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox won the last game 4-3 and Chicago leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 8:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Apr. 21 and can be seen on STO and CSN-CHI.
Noesi is 1-1 with a 4.23 ERA in his appearances against the Indians, and goes up against a below-average Cleveland offense which is batting just .218 this season. Avisail Garcia (.308, 7 Rs, 1 HR, 3 RBIs, 1 SB) kept up his hot start yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run. Against the White Sox, Bauer is 1-0 with a 3.10 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, and 25 strikeouts. Mike Aviles (.280, 4 Rs, 1 HR, 1 RBI) has been successful at the plate to the start the season for the Indians, going 2 for 3 yesterday with one run.
Cleveland takes on Chicago as a -119 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at eight runs. The White Sox have recorded an overall money line of -293 and have shown a weak performance as an underdog this season with a record of 2-6.
As for their opponent, Cleveland is coming in with an overall money line of -448 and a disappointing record of 2-5as the favorite. They have played poorly as the favorite with a 1-5 record against fellow AL Central members, and a 4-6 record SU. Offensively, the Indians have really picked up the pace in division games. They have exceeded their season average of 3.2 runs per game by averaging 3.5 in those contests. Moving on to Cleveland’s pitching staff and defense, the The Indians allow just two runs per road game, ranking them first in the AL. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Indians are the best in the AL on the road with an average of 5.2 hits allowed per away game. The Indians have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an AL-best 10.8 strikeouts per road game.
The White Sox lead the season series, 2-1. The White Sox have a 4-4 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Bauer takes the mound. Noesi (RHP) will be on the hill against the Indians, who have a 3-3 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – CWS, O/U – Over
Notes
The Indians lost their last game by a one-run margin. In games decided by one run, the White Sox are 2-1. The Indians are 0-2 in close games this season.
In extra innings, the Indians are 0-1.
The Indians managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the White Sox who are heading in with a 2-2 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Indians are 4-1. The White Sox have a 5-0 record when outhitting opponents.
Chicago and Cleveland both rank near the bottom of the league in runs. Chicago sits at 24th with 42 runs this season and Cleveland ranks 26th with 38.
Ranking 27th, Chicago is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 28 this season. Cleveland ranks in the bottom half at 20th with 33.
When the White Sox hit at least one home run, they are 4-3. When the Indians hit at least one homer, they have a 3-3 record.
