by Chuck Sommers
Saturday, Sep 25, 2021
Game time: 7:15 p.m. ET
Venue: Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH
Where to watch: FOX
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: White Sox -190, Indians +160
BetMGM: White Sox -189, Indians +155
Caesars: White Sox -180, Indians +165
Season record
White Sox: 87-67 (Clinched American League Central)
Indians: 75-78 (2nd place, AL Central)
Hollywood Sports has put together a 4-1-0 stint the last seven days in MLB, putting up a plus profit of $3,160 with no signs of slowing down entering the weekend. Catch Hollywood’s and our other champion handicappers’ selections from around the baseball world, as where as our other predictions.
White Sox - Indians preview and analysis
Recent form
White Sox: 4-6 in last 10
Indians: 5-5 in last 10
Now that it’s finally here, all the Chicago White Sox need to do is coast to the finish line.
Then the real fun begins.
In what seemed like inevitable for the past couple of months, the White Sox are going back to the postseason as winners of the AL Central and will likely have the Houston Astros on their radar in the coming weeks.
But first, the White Sox need to wrap up the regular season and will continue a five-game series against the Cleveland Indians with the fourth game coming Saturday in Ohio.
The White Sox have taken two of the first three against the Indians; it started with a doubleheader on Thursday with a 7-2 win for the Chi Sox, and then a 5-3 loss in seven innings. It only took one run for the White Sox to take the third meeting Friday, 1-0 backed up by 5.1 scoreless innings of baseball for now leading winner Dylan Cease, who had nine strikeouts.
Four relievers came to the rescue with three hits allowed and seven strikeouts in the final 3.2 innings to get the victory. The only run came off the bat of Luis Robert with a blast to center field.
It wasn’t an entirely bad situation for Cleveland, as it got its ace Shane Bieber back into the fold. The ace threw three hitless and 0 ER innings of baseball to go with three strikeouts. In his first appearance since June, Bieber looked like himself.
The White Sox will send right-hander ace Lance Lynn to the mound as he looks for his first win since July 25. In his last start against the Texas Rangers on Sept. 18, Lynn threw 5.1 IP and had five strikeouts in what was a loss.
Eli Morgan is expected to start for Cleveland. He’s 3-7 this season with a 5.68 ERA.
Prediction
The pitching matchup will make the difference in this game. Chicago has the better starter and the more viable option to keep the game out of the hands of the White Sox bullpen. Be weary down the road how Chicago fares toward the end, but for this one, take Chicago. White Sox 6-5
Betting trends
When the line is -175 to -250 in favor of the White Sox, they’re 25-12.
The Indians are 10-21 when an underdog of +150 or more.
Players to watch
White Sox: Since Tim Anderson came off the IL, he’s had a nine-game hitting streak while batting .355.
Indians: In the last 32 games, Jose Ramirez has batted .305 with 8 home runs and 21 RBI.
Projected lineup
White Sox:
Tim Anderson (R) SS
Yoan Moncada (S) 3B
Jose Abreu (R) 1B
Eloy Jimenez (R) LF
Luis Robert (R) CF
Gavin Sheets (L) DH
Cesar Hernandez (S) 2B
Andrew Vaughn (R) RF
Zack Collins (L) C
Indians:
Bradley Zimmer (L) CF
Amed Rosario (R) SS
Jose Ramirez (S) 3B
Franmil Reyes (R) DH
Bobby Bradley (L) 1B
Harold Ramirez (R) LF
Owen Miller (R) 2B
Roberto Perez (R) C
Oscar Mercado (R) RF
Probable starting pitchers: Lance Lynn (CWS) vs. Eli Morgan (CLE)
Statistical leaders
White Sox:
Batting average: Tim Anderson (.305)
Hits: Tim Anderson (152)
Home runs: Jose Abreu (29)
RBI: Jose Abreu (113)
Stolen bases: Tim Anderson (17)
Wins: Dylan Cease (13)
Saves: Liam Hendriks (35)
ERA: Lucas Giolito (3.70)
Indians:
Batting average: Amed Rosario (.279)
Hits: Amed Rosario (145)
Home runs: Jose Ramirez (35)
RBI: Jose Ramirez (96)
Stolen bases: Jose Ramirez (25)
Wins: Aaron Civale (11)
Saves: Emmanuel Clase (24)
ERA: N/A
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert MLB picks today. And if you enjoyed this Chicago White Sox - Cleveland Indians preview, be sure to drop by every day for our daily MLB projections and predictions.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
