Cleveland, Chicago Gear Up For A Pitchers’ Duel

The UNDER is 8-2 in the Chicago White Sox’s last 10 games. How the managers choose to utilize their top pitchers Wednesday night could determine whether that stretch of low-scoring games comes to an end as the White Sox send ace Lucas Giolito to the mound against Indians ace Shane Bieber in Cleveland.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

Early betting action on the White Sox has driven the Indians from -165 favorites down to -155 favorites while Chicago is now a +135 underdog on the road. Bettors also felt that the total was a bit too low at 6.5 runs, betting on the OVER to push the total up to 7 runs. The UNDER is 5-1 in Cleveland’s last six home games against Chicago.

Starting Pitchers Analysis

Lucas Giolito has given up exactly three earned runs in each of his last three starts. On the season, Giolito is 4-3 with a 3.53 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP and 86 strikeouts in 66.1 innings. The White Sox are 5-1 in his last six starts.

Shane Bieber makes his final start of the regular season on Wednesday with the American League Cy Young Award essentially already locked up. Bieber has posted an 8-1 record, 1.74 ERA and 0.86 WHIP with 112 strikeouts in 72.1 innings pitched. He has led the Indians to a 9-2 record over his 11 starts in 2020.

Chicago News & Notes

Since clinching a playoff spot with a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins last Thursday, the White Sox have gone just 1-4 over their last five games, losing two of three games to the Cincinnati Reds and the first two games of this four-game set against the Indians. Chicago was 11-2 over its previous 13 games before this skid and will take a 34-21 record into the final two games of this series.

The White Sox are just 2-6 against the Indians. This is in stark contrast to Chicago’s 23-7 record in its 30 games against other AL Central opponents. Chicago currently holds a half-game lead over the Twins for the top spot in the division and a three-game lead over the Indians.

Cleveland News & Notes

Cleveland strung together a stretch of eight straight losses earlier this month, but over its last six games the team is 5-1 with a 7-4 win over Chicago on Monday and a 5-3 win over the Pale Hose on Tuesday. The Indians have clinched a playoff spot with a 31-24 record and will try to keep swinging the bat well; they have averaged 5.33 runs per game over this current 5-1 run.

Overall this season, Cleveland ranks 25th in the majors in run production with 4.15 runs per game. The Indians have the best team ERA in the American League at 3.23, but they’ll likely go only as far as their bats will take them in the postseason.