Cleveland Guardians vs. Chicago White Sox

Quick read:

Take the White Sox to win this one, plain and simple. Cleveland’s pitching rotation is currently held together by duct tape and optimism, while Chicago’s lineup looks like they just discovered that baseball bats are actually for hitting, not for decorative purposes.

Consider this: the White Sox have ripped off 20 runs while allowing just 9, painting a picture of a team that is both electric offensively and surprisingly stout defensively. Meanwhile, the Guardians have managed a pitiful 3 runs while surrendering 7, a performance that suggests their offense is about as threatening as a sunburnt hedgehog. With 31 hits and 3 home runs on the board, Chicago is doing the heavy lifting while Cleveland is busy trying to figure out why the ball keeps going over the fence.

The only risk here is that Cleveland finally finds its groove in the bottom of the ninth, which is statistically as likely as a penguin learning to surf. But if you can stomach the volatility of a post-season game, the White Sox are the side with the actual momentum and the bat that isn’t made of balsa wood.