White Sox vs Guardians Picks & Odds (Aug 20)

• The White Sox vs Guardians odds favor Cleveland as -165 moneyline favorites on Saturday, August 20, at 6:10pm ET
• Chicago will give the ball to Johnny Cueto (5-5, 2.78 ERA), while Cleveland will counter with Shane Bieber (8-6, 3.18 ERA)
• Read below for the White Sox vs Guardians odds and betting prediction

AL Central rivals clash on Saturday as the White Sox (61-58, 31-27 away) and Guardians (63-55, 31-24 home) continue their pivotal three-game set. Cleveland began play on Friday with a two and a half game lead over Chicago atop the division, while the White Sox are also three games out of the final Wild Card spot.

These two teams will meet six times between now and the end of the season, so there’s still plenty of time for leads to be trimmed or extended. As for Saturday, oddsmakers are siding with the hometown Guardians.

White Sox vs Guardians Odds

Odds as of August 19 at Caesars Sportsbook. See available Caesars Sportsbook bonus code.

Cleveland opened up as -165 moneyline favorites, in a contest that features a total of 7.5. First pitch is scheduled for 6:10pm ET at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio, with clear skies and 79 degree game time temperatures in the forecast.

DRAFTKINGS
SPORTSBOOK

Add +1000 to Any Golfer to Win Any Tournament!

LOCK IN PROMO

BRITISH OPEN PROMO

GET +1000
ODDS BOOST

CLAIM HERE

Chicago vs Cleveland Probable Pitchers

One of the primary reasons for the lopsided odds is the fact that Guardians ace Shane Bieber will toe the rubber. The top-10 AL Cy Young odds contender is fresh off four straight quality starts, holding the Blue Jays to just two runs over 6 innings last time out.

Shane Bieber, clearly amped for what looks like his final inning & out of the day, reached 94 mph on the gun multiple times w/ his heater in that final at bat.

He gets Vladdy Guerrero Jr. to ground out to third, stranding two & Cleveland takes a 5-2 lead to the 8th! pic.twitter.com/hTMWY2OUfu

— Jensen Lewis (@JLEWFifty) August 14, 2022

He’s allowed two runs or less in five of his last six starts, one of which was a complete game three-hitter over the White Sox. Bieber coughed up just a since run in that outing, while striking out seven. He has a 45-to-7 strikeout-to-walk rate since June 30th, with a 5-2 record during that stretch.

Cueto vs Bieber Stats

Chicago will counter with Johnny Cueto, who’s been on a nice little run of his own. The 36-year-old has allowed three earned runs or less in all but one of his 17 starts, and is fresh off a fantastic performance versus Houston.

Johnny Cueto put his heart and soul out there tonight 😤 pic.twitter.com/npDGSkk3HD

— White Sox Talk (@NBCSWhiteSox) August 16, 2022

Cueto limited the Astros to six hits and two runs over 8 innings, walking one and striking out three. He’s won four of his last five decisions, while pitching at least 6 innings in nine straight starts.

White Sox vs Guardians Betting Analysis

Cueto has faced the Guardians once this season, lasting 7 innings while allowing three earned runs. Cleveland took the contest 7-4, and Guardians hitters have actually had a fair bit of success versus the righty over a short sample. They’re hitting .323 off Cueto in 31 at-bats.

Cleveland entered the weekend with nine wins in its past 12 games. Sure, five of those victories came against Detroit, but they also took a pair of games from Houston and Toronto, two top-six World Series odds contenders.

All-star and longshot AL MVP odds contender Jose Ramirez has been the catalyst of the lineup this season, driving in 98 runs. As good as Ramirez has been however, teammate Andres Gimenez deserves just as much attention.

Andrés Giménez will not stop! Go-ahead home run in the 7th! pic.twitter.com/ti8FOGTW0j

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 15, 2022

The 23-year-old ranks fourth in MLB in WAR and top-11 in average and OPS. He’s smacked a pair of home runs over the past four games, including a game winning three-run shot on Monday against the Tigers.

Over the past two weeks Cleveland is slashing .270/.329/.387, while averaging over five runs per game.

Chicago meanwhile, has a long track record of struggling versus Bieber. Their lineup is batting just .220 over 168 at-bats, with Jose Abreu and Yoan Moncada striking out a combined 23 times in 75 plate appearances.

The Chicago White Sox have officially signed Elvis Andrus.

Lenyn Sosa went down to AAA make room on the roster.

Luis Robert is still not in the starting lineup.

This is a HUGE series against the Cleveland Guardians. Enjoy!

— DaWindyCityFS (@DaWindyCityFS) August 19, 2022

The White Sox have been fighting through injuries all season, and this weekend is no exception. Tim Anderson (finger) is out until next month, while Luis Robert (wrist) has missed six straight games. Those two hitters have been two of Chicago’s four most productive all season, and it’s hard to envision much success against Bieber without their bats.

CHW vs CLE Last 10 Meetings

White Sox vs Guardians Pick

Chicago ranks below league average in runs per game, slugging and OPS for the season, and that’s with Anderson and Robert primarily healthy. Now they have to face Bieber, who’s in phenomenal form, shorthanded. Advantage Cleveland.

Bieber has faced the White Sox at home twice this season, and each time Chicago managed only a single run. Expect a similar outcome on Saturday, which makes under 3.5 runs for the White Sox our preferred target.

Pick: Chicago White Sox Under 3.5 Runs (-140)