Chris Sale (3-1, 5.09 ERA) and Corey Kluber (1-5, 4.27 ERA) take the hill in the first of a four-game series between the Chicago White Sox (17-17) and the Cleveland Indians (14-22) at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox come into this series riding a five-game winning streak. Action begins at 8:10 p.m. ET on Monday, May. 18 and can be seen on STO and CSN-CHI.
Sale is 3-4 with a 4.29 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 77 strikeouts against the Indians. Avisail Garcia (.346, 20 Rs, 4 HRs, 17 RBIs, 1 SB) continued his strong play yesterday, going 3 for 5 with two runs, one home run, and two RBIs. Kluber is 4-3 with a 3.60 ERA when pitching against the White Sox. He takes on a good Chicago offense which is hitting .258 this season. Michael Brantley (.348, 20 Rs, 4 HRs, 22 RBIs, 6 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one RBI.
Chicago is a slim -115 favorite at home against Cleveland. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at seven runs for this matchup. Though the White Sox have had a tough season in terms of their overall money line (-177), they have done fairly well as a favorite with a record of 9-6. Within its division, Chicago has a 6-5 record as favorite and a 10-14 record SU. The White Sox have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 5.0 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 3.8 runs per game. The White Sox are one of the best in the AL in terms of hits with an impressive 8.7 per game.
In the other locker room, Cleveland is coming in with an overall money line of -1,112 and a disappointing record of 5-8 as the underdog. They have played poorly as the underdog with a 3-5 record against AL Central foes, and a 5-5 record SU. The The Indians allow just three runs per road game, ranking them fifth in the AL. The Indians have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an AL-best 10.0 strikeouts per road game.
The White Sox lead the season series, 3-2. The White Sox have a 14-13 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Kluber takes the mound. Sale (LHP) will be on the hill against the Indians, who have a inferior 4-9 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.
The White Sox are coming off of a weak pitching game where they recorded six strikeouts. The Indians have a record of 9-9 when opponents’ pitchers have that many strikeouts or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Indians are 2-17. The White Sox have a 3-15 record when opponents outhit them.
Chicago ranks near the bottom of the league at 29th when it comes to home runs, hitting 23 this season. Cleveland ranks in the bottom half at 18th with 33.
Ranking sixth, Cleveland is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 8.69 per game. Chicago ranks in the top five at fifth with 8.73.
Ranking 24th, Chicago is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.683). Cleveland ranks in the top half at 11th with an OPS of .728.
The Indians are 11-17 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The White Sox are 10-13 when they allow at least one homer.
