Carlos Rodon (1-0, 4.96 ERA) and Shaun Marcum (0-0, 1.80 ERA) start in the third of a four-game series between the Chicago White Sox (18-18) and the Cleveland Indians (15-23) at U.S. Cellular Field. The Indians won the last game 3-1 and the series is currently tied 1-1. Action begins at 8:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May. 20 and can be seen on STO and WPWR.
Rodon pitched 4.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering five runs, striking out five and walking six in a 7-6 defeat to the Athletics. Avisail Garcia (.336, 20 Rs, 4 HRs, 18 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one RBI. When pitching against the White Sox, Marcum is 4-0 with a 1.99 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, and 31 strikeouts. Jason Kipnis (.338, 27 Rs, 4 HRs, 17 RBIs, 5 SBs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 4 yesterday with two runs.
Chicago is a -136 favorite against Cleveland and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at eight runs. The White Sox have recorded an overall money line of +47 and have shown high-level performance as a favorite this season with a record of 10-6. Chicago is an impressive 4-1 as the favorite over its last 10 games. The White Sox have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 5.1 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 3.8 runs per game.
In the other locker room, Cleveland is coming in with an overall money line of -1,352 and a disappointing record of 5-9 as the underdog. They have played poorly as the underdog with a 3-6 record against teams in their division, and a 4-6 record SU. Cleveland is excellent at drawing walks with 3.2 per road game, ranking fifth in the AL. Shifting to the pitching staff and defense, the The Indians allow just three runs per road game, ranking them third in the AL. The Indians have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an AL-best 10.1 strikeouts per road game.
The White Sox lead the season series, 4-3. The White Sox have a 15-13 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Marcum takes the mound. Rodon (LHP) will be on the hill against the Indians, who have a inferior 4-10 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – CLE, O/U – Over
Notes
Cleveland has won 36% (5-9) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Chicago has won 64% (7-4) of its games when taking a late lead.
Having scored one run in their last game, the White Sox are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Indians have a 5-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Indians are 2-18. The White Sox have a 3-16 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 29th in home runs, Chicago has hit 23 this season. Cleveland ranks 15th with 34 home runs.
Chicago and Cleveland both rank in the top 10 of the league in hits. Chicago sits at sixth with 8.71 hits per game and Cleveland ranks eighth with 8.49.
Ranking 26th, Chicago is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.671). Cleveland ranks in the top half at 13th with an OPS of .721.
When the Indians allow at least one home run, they are 11-17. When the White Sox allow one or more homers, they have a 10-14 record.
