Cleveland Guardians at Chicago White Sox

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
CLE	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	5	0
CWS	1	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	—	5	6	1

First pitch is set for 1:10 PM CT, with Joey Cantillo (8-7, 3.87 ERA) taking the ball for Cleveland against Davis Martin (9-6, 4.13 ERA) for Chicago. Cantillo was solid in his last outing against the Mets, working 5 innings with 5 strikeouts against 2 walks. Martin's last time out was the opposite story — he got rocked for 9 earned runs on 10 hits in just 5 innings against Boston, the kind of start a team can't afford in a game that matters this much.

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FINAL

Spread

ML

Total

Guardians(58-60)

LWLLL

3

-1.5+138-120o8.5+104

White Sox(60-56)

WLLLL

5

+1.5-138+117u8.5-102

Best BetWhite Sox +112

Pregame

The White Sox are the home price here even though they're the team above .500, which says plenty about how shaky both clubs have looked lately. Chicago already beat Cleveland once this series and gets the last licks at home in the finale. Cantillo gives Cleveland a real shot, but a Guardians club that's 1-4 in its last 5 is a tough sell as the true favorite.

Chicago's already dealing with a beat-up catching room. Joey Bart fractured his left hand and Kyle Teel is out with an ankle injury, thinning a position that was supposed to be a strength for the White Sox. Chicago is also turning to Chris Murphy as a bullpen opener for Sunday's game, leaning on a patchwork pitching plan. Cleveland has its own rotation shuffle going, with Slade Cecconi moving to the bullpen after a rough stretch of starts.

Joey Cantillo

(9-7)·3.73 ERA

Aug 4 vs Mets

L

5.0IP

2ER

5K

2BB

81P

08/09 Lineup

Davis Martin

(9-6)·4.32 ERA

Aug 4 @ Red Sox

L

5.0IP

9ER

1K

2BB

91P

08/09 Lineup

None of that stopped the series from being tightly contested through two games — the Guardians took the opener 8-2 before the White Sox answered with a 6-3 win to even things up. Sunday decides who walks away with the edge, and it's shaping up as a coin-flip type of afternoon between two teams jockeying for position from opposite sides of .500.

Cleveland Guardians

(58-60)

Aug 8L@ White Sox3-6

Aug 7W@ White Sox8-2

Aug 6Lvs Mets6-13

Aug 5Lvs Mets5-6

Aug 4Lvs Mets2-6

Chicago White Sox

(60-56)

Aug 8Wvs Guardians6-3

Aug 7Lvs Guardians2-8

Aug 6L@ Red Sox11-12

Aug 5L@ Red Sox0-4

Aug 4L@ Red Sox2-14

Cleveland's form tells the story of a team that can't find any rhythm — 1-4 in its last 5, with the lone win coming against this same White Sox club. Chicago's sitting at the same 1-4 mark over its last 5, but it caught a needed win in game 2 of this set. Both clubs are treading water in August, and neither can afford to let this series slip away.

Cleveland Guardians

(2)

• 15-Day-ILSlade Cecconi (SP) — Cecconi will be available out of the bullpen beginning with Tuesday's game against the Mets, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.08/07
• 60-Day-ILShawn Armstrong (RP) — The Guardians transferred Armstrong (calf) to the 60-day injured list Tuesday.08/05

Chicago White Sox

(10)

• 10-Day-ILJoey Bart (C) — White Sox general manager Chris Getz said Friday that Bart is expected to be sidelined for "over a month" due to a left hand fracture, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.08/07
• 10-Day-ILKyle Teel (C) — Teel is expected to miss 6-to-12 weeks due to left high-ankle sprain, MLB.com reports.07/22
• 15-Day-ILChris Murphy (RP) — Murphy will serve as the White Sox's opener for Sunday's game against the Guardians, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.08/07
• 60-Day-ILDrew Thorpe (SP) — Thorpe (elbow) struck out three and allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks across four innings Wednesday in a rehab start at Double-A Birmingham.08/09
• 60-Day-ILJordan Leasure (RP) — Leasure (forearm) has resumed throwing bullpen sessions, MLB.com reports.08/01
• 60-Day-ILPrelander Berroa (RP) — The White Sox announced Saturday that Berroa (elbow) will start throwing again in 1-to-2 weeks, MLB.com reports.07/07
• 60-Day-ILKy Bush (SP) — Bush (elbow) has resumed participating in long toss, MLB.com reports.07/05
• 60-Day-ILMike Vasil (RP) — The White Sox transferred Vasil (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Tuesday.05/08
• 60-Day-ILTanner Murray (LF) — The White Sox transferred Murray (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list Monday.05/08
• 60-Day-ILBrooks Baldwin (LF) — The White Sox transferred Baldwin (elbow) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.05/08

With Bart and Teel both out, Chicago's catching depth is being leaned on behind the plate for the rest of the season. Cleveland, meanwhile, needs its bullpen — now without Cecconi in the rotation — to hold up if this one turns into another slugfest like Friday's opener. Whoever handles the middle innings better probably wins the rubber match.