Guardians (21-27) vs. White Sox (20-30) Game Preview | Wed 1:10 PM. EST. 5/24

May 24, 2023

Andy Billman

Rinse and Repeat, Need to Win This Series.

3 Things Preview Guardians vs. White Sox:

1 – Andres Gimenez

Gimenez went 2-4 yesterday and still did not score a run. Still at 1 for the month of May, but hopefully yesterday gets him going.

2 – Still Time

Somehow the Guardians are 3 games back of the Twins in the loss column. Still plenty of time to win the division.

3 – Cal Quantrill  

Need the dominant pitcher who always wins at home today. In the past he has been good at home this team needs it to get the series win and finally start a winning pattern.

Guardians Notes

It actually looked like the Guardians might win on a Tuesday. Logan Allen was great for the first 6 innings but was not quite the same in the 7th. Terry Francona, showing he has no feel for how a game is going, decided that Allen needed to be out there to blow the lead, and brought in Enyel De Los Santos two batters too late.

Another loss followed, and the Guardians still have not topped 3 runs on a Tuesday this season.

Guards Stats and Insights

GUARDIANS PROBABLE PITCHER – Cal Quantrill

  • Quantrill’s team is 4-4-0 against the spread this season in his starts.
  • The right-hander gave up three earned runs in 5 2/3 innings pitched on Friday in his last outing, a matchup with the New York Mets.
  • Quantrill has four starts in a row of five innings or more.
  • When Quantrill starts a game and his team is the favorite on the money line, they have a record of 2-2.
  • In games Quantrill has started, his team is 6-3.
  • Games started by Quantrill have a 2-6-0 record at hitting the over this season.

GUARDIANS HITTING TRENDS

  • The Guardians have hit just 30 homers this season, which ranks last in the league.
  • Hitters for Cleveland have combined to rank 30th in MLB with a slugging percentage of only .343 this season.
  • The Guardians rank 28th in MLB with a team batting average of just .225.
  • Cleveland has scored the second-fewest runs in the majors this season with just 169 (3.5 per game).
  • The Guardians have an OBP of just .298 this season, which ranks 28th in MLB.
  • Cleveland has the fewest strikeouts in MLB, whiffing only 7.1 times per game on average.

White Sox Notes

In the hopes of securing a series win, the White Sox have chosen right-handed pitcher Michael Kopech to start game three. Kopech’s performance this season has been less than stellar, with a 2-4 record, a 4.83 ERA, and a 1.33 WHIP in his initial starts. In his most recent outing against the Royals, however, he displayed an impressive performance by pitching eight innings and allowing only one hit in a shutout. Nevertheless, it is unlikely that Kopech will replicate such a strong showing in his upcoming start against the Guardians.

The White Sox’s batting lineup has been somewhat disappointing this season. Andrew Benintendi currently leads the team in average and on-base percentage with a .278/.337/.358 slash line in 182 at-bats. Luis Robert Jr. leads the team in hits and home runs, having accumulated 50 hits and 13 home runs while maintaining a .273/.328/.557 slash line throughout the season. Despite a lackluster .236/.320/.401 slash line, Andrew Vaughn leads the team with 31 RBIs. Overall, the White Sox’s bats have struggled, and they will need to find better consistency moving forward.

White Sox Stats and Insights

WHITE SOX PROBABLE PITCHER – Michael Kopech

  • Kopech makes the start for the White Sox, his 10th of the season. He is 2-4 with a 4.83 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 50 1/3 innings pitched.
  • His most recent appearance was on Saturday against the Kansas City Royals, when the righty threw eight scoreless innings while giving up only one hit.
  • Kopech has put up seven starts this season that he pitched five or more innings.
  • The White Sox have a 3-4 record in Kopech’s seven starts this season when they were the moneyline underdog.
  • Kopech’s team has won four of his nine starts.
  • Kopech’s starts with a set total this season have hit the over in three of eight games.

WHITE SOX HITTING TRENDS

  • The White Sox are 19th in baseball with 52 home runs. They average one per game.
  • So far this year, Chicago is 20th in the majors, slugging .389.
  • The White Sox rank 19th in MLB with a .240 batting average.
  • The offense for Chicago is the No. 20 offense in the majors, scoring 4.1 runs per game (207 total runs).
  • The White Sox’s .299 on-base percentage is the fourth-worst in MLB.

Final Thoughts/Pick

I’m picking the Guardians to win this game for a couple of reasons. One of the factors favoring the Guardians is their pitching advantage over the opposing team. Kopech has been inconsistent with a 2-4 record, a 4.83 ERA, and a 1.33 WHIP. In comparison, Quantrill has slightly better numbers with a 2-2 record, a 4.06 ERA, and a 1.31 WHIP. Additionally, the Guardians have the advantage of playing at home, where they tend to perform better both offensively and defensively. I expect the key hitters on the Guardians’ roster to deliver in crucial situations, resulting in a relatively low-scoring game.

Looking at recent trends, the Guardians have been successful in Quantrill’s past six Wednesday starts, winning all six games. They have also won the last four game threes of a series in which Quantrill started. Moreover, in their previous seven meetings with the opposing team, the Guardians have emerged victorious in five of them. These trends further strengthen my confidence in selecting the Guardians to win.

Our Pick: Take the Guardians to win 4-3.

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