Chris Sale (12-7, 3.29 ERA), attemping to pick up his 200th strikeout of the season, starts for the Chicago White Sox (65-70) as they square off against Trevor Bauer (10-11, 4.56 ERA) and the Cleveland Indians (66-69) in the first of a three-game series at U.S. Cellular Field. Action begins at 2:10 p.m. ET on Monday, Sep. 7 and can be seen on CSCh and STOh.
Sale pitched 6.1 innings in his most recent start, surrendering four runs, striking out 10 and walking one in an 8-6 defeat to the Twins. Adam Eaton (.277, 83 Rs, 12 HRs, 43 RBIs, 13 SBs) had another good game yesterday, going 3 for 5 with three runs, one home run, and one RBI. Bauer went 1.1 innings, surrendering five runs, striking out two and walking one in a 5-1 defeat to the Blue Jays in his last outing. Jason Kipnis (.311, 77 Rs, 7 HRs, 45 RBIs, 11 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run.
Chicago is a -171 favorite against Cleveland and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The White Sox have an overall money line of -813 and a record as the favorite of 31-27. Chicago has had a discouraging season against division opponents, earning records of 11-15 and 23-33 as the favorite and SU respectively. The White Sox are one of the best in the MLB in terms of extra base hits with 357.
In games where it is the underdog, Cleveland has a 20-28 record and an overall money line of -1,541. They have played poorly as the underdog with a 6-9 record against fellow AL Central members, and a 7-3 record SU. Offensively, the Indians have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 4.1 runs per game by averaging 5.3 during that stretch. Cleveland is excellent at drawing walks with 3.2 per road game, ranking third in the AL. Cleveland’s pitching staff is one of the top in the AL, with a 3.79 ERA. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Indians are one of the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.19 for the season. The Indians have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an AL-best 8.8 strikeouts per game.
The White Sox lead the season series, 8-5. The White Sox have a 49-55 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Bauer takes the mound. Sale (LHP) will be on the hill against the Indians, who have an 18-27 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle, O/U – Over
Notes
Cleveland won its last game in a shutout, its eighth of the season. Chicago has been shut out 10 times this season.
The White Sox are coming into this game after allowing zero walks during their last outing. The Indians have a 1-9 record when opponents give up that many walks.
When they are outhit, the Indians are 9-51. The White Sox have a 10-53 record when opponents outhit them.
Chicago and Cleveland both rank near the bottom of the league in home runs. Chicago sits at 23rd with 112 home runs this season and Cleveland ranks 27th with 110.
Chicago and Cleveland both rank in the top 10 of the league in hits. Chicago sits at eighth with 8.68 hits per game and Cleveland ranks ninth with 8.62.
Ranking 26th, Chicago is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.693). Cleveland ranks in the bottom half at 16th with an OPS of .719.
The Indians are 39-56 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The White Sox are 31-53 when they allow at least one homer.
