Jose Quintana (5-3, 1.98 ERA) gets the start for the Chicago White Sox (27-20) as they meet Corey Kluber (3-5, 4.10 ERA) and the Cleveland Indians (24-20) in the last of a four-game series at U.S. Cellular Field. The Indians won the last game 6-2, and Cleveland leads the series 2-1. The game gets underway at 2:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May. 25 and will air on STOh and WGN.
In his last start, Quintana pitched 6.1 innings, giving up four runs and striking out five in a 4-1 loss to the Royals. Adam Eaton (.295, 20 Rs, 3 HRs, 15 RBIs, 5 SBs) continued his strong season yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run, one home run, and one RBI. The Indians were victorious over the Red Sox 4-2 the last time Kluber pitched. He went 7.0 innings, allowing two runs, striking out six and walking two. Mike Napoli (.229, 26 Rs, 8 HRs, 30 RBIs, 1 SB) has been hitting the ball well, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run, two RBIs, and one stolen base.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. Against teams in the AL Central, the White Sox have a SU record of 13-7. Chicago has averaged 0.0 runs per game over the last 10 games, higher than its season average of 0.0. Turning to the pitching and defensive side, the Chicago pitching staff and defense is very good at home, only giving up 3.4 runs per game. The White Sox don’t give up many hits to opposing batters at U.S. Cellular Field, ranking fifth in the AL with only 7.8 hits allowed per home game.
Against fellow AL Central members, the Indians are 9-5 SU. During the last 10 games, they averaged 0.0 runs per game, above their 0.0 season average. Cleveland is a terror on the base paths, ranking fourth in the MLB with 32 stolen bases. The last 10 games have really brought the best out of the Cleveland pitchers. They’ve allowed 0.0 runs per game during that span, which is lower than their season average of 0.0. They also average just 7.2 hits allowed per road game, fourth-best in the AL.
In their previous five games this season, the Indians have a 3-2 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – CLE
Notes
Cleveland has won 56% (10-8) of its games when leading after seven innings. However, Chicago has won 57% (13-10) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Indians are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The White Sox have a 6-6 record when opponents give up one walk or less.
With records of 4-16 and 3-12 respectively, the White Sox and the Indians both perform poorly when they are outhit by their opponent.
Ranking 22nd in home runs, Chicago has hit 41 this season. Cleveland ranks 16th with 47 home runs.
Ranking 16th, Chicago is in the bottom half of the league in hits, notching 8.38 per game. Cleveland ranks in the top half at 11th with 8.66.
Ranking 17th, Chicago is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.714). Cleveland ranks in the top half with an OPS of .728.
When the Indians allow at least one home run, they are 15-16, well-matched with the White Sox who are 12-14 when allowing at least one homer.
