White Sox vs. Guardians Game 2 Doubleheader Prediction and Odds for Wednesday, April 20 (Sox Set Up to Succeed)

The Cleveland Guardians have a big problem. They have one of the best offenses in the league, but their pitching has been awful in their first nine games. This has led the second-highest scoring team in the MLB into a three-game losing streak heading into their series against Chicago. They are 4-5 on the year and really need to find some consistency at the plate and get some better quality out of their pitching. 

The White Sox, on the other hand, have thus far lived up to their preseason hype. They were heavily favored to win the AL Central and currently lead the division with a 6-3 record. Chicago has won six of their last eight on the back of some high-quality pitching. Aside from getting blown up by the Rays on Sunday, the White Sox have given up two or fewer runs in five of their last seven games. 

Odds have yet to be released for Game 2 of this doubleheader over at WynnBET Sportsbook.

White Sox vs. Guardians Odds, Run Line, and Total

Run Line

• White Sox: -1.5
• Guardians: +1.5

Moneyline:

• White Sox TBD
• Guardians TBD

Total:

• TBD (Over -115/Under -105)

White Sox vs. Guardians Prediction and Pick

While this game sounds like it could be a great battle between a top offense and a great pitching staff, I am thinking otherwise. First off, Cleveland’s offensive stats are a bit skewed due to some very high-scoring games in the first two weeks. The Guardians played three straight games where they scored at least 10 runs. In those three games, Cleveland amassed 37 total runs. However, in their last three games, the Guardians have just four total runs.

As far as the White Sox pitching goes, we can't get too excited about this matchup. While the White Sox have a top 10 ERA, Jimmy Lambert hasn’t helped them get there a whole lot. Lambert’s first start of the season was rough but could have been much worse. He coughed up two runs and two hits in three innings of work. He gave up a home run and had a K to walk rate of 1:1. It took him 49 pitches to navigate three innings and I don’t have a lot of faith in him turning it around. He finished last year with a -0.1 WAR, a 6.23 ERA, and a 1.69 WHIP. 

Triston McKenzie gets the start for Cleveland coming off solid outings. He is 0-1 with a 2.57 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. But McKenzie hasn’t pitched more than four innings and needs to reign in his pitch count as well as Lambert. Especially with the Guardians’ bullpen sporting a 4.03 ERA right now. 

Until the Guardians can find their stroke on offense I think they are a dangerous bet on the team. Their pitching isn’t good enough to keep them afloat during this funk at the plate, and Cleveland is in danger of losing another game to Chicago.

Pick: White Sox RL 

Follow all of Matt De Saro’s betting picks HERE