Tuesday, September 22, 2020, Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio, 6:10 p.m. ET
White Sox at Indians Betting Preview: White Sox (+165), Indians (-195)
Chicago White Sox
The White Sox’s bid for the top seed in the American League playoffs took a hit Monday night with a 7-4 loss in the opener of a four-game series against the Indians. Chicago now trails AL East-leading Tampa Bay by 1 1/2 games.
The White Sox (34-20) have dropped three of their first four games on their Ohio road trip, and pitching has been the prime reason. Aside from Dallas Keuchel’s start in a Saturday win at Cincinnati, they have allowed seven runs in each of the other three games — all losses.
Reynaldo Lopez (1-2, 5.40 ERA) gets the call on Tuesday. He has pitched decently in his past two starts, walking only two in 10 1/3 innings after ceding eight walks in his first 9 2/3 frames. Lopez is 2-3 with a 4.29 ERA in six career starts against the Indians.
Cleveland Indians
The eight-game losing streak that ended Thursday night in Detroit is a thing of the past. The Indians (30-24) have won four of five and are on the verge of clinching a playoff spot, which has influenced interim manager Sandy Alomar’s decision about the Tuesday night starter.
AL Cy Young Award favorite Shane Bieber (8-1, 1.74 ERA) was scheduled to take the ball, but the club has moved him back to Wednesday. That lines him up to start Game 1 of the club’s first-round playoff series, which makes sense.
So one of Cleveland’s acquisitions in the Mike Clevinger trade with San Diego, righty Cal Quantrill (2-0, 2.52), will start in what becomes a bullpen game. Quantrill has 25 strikeouts in 25 innings this year. He has made one start, when he allowed one run in 3 2/3 innings at Arizona on Aug. 15.
White Sox at Indians Betting Pick for September 22, 2020
Prior to the Indians’ decision to move Bieber back a night, this looked like a pretty easy sequence of predictions: Take the home team, bet on Bieber fanning at least 10 of the hard-swinging, homer-hungry White Sox and lay good coin on the under.
Now it’s a matchup of a guy who won’t be in the Sox’s postseason rotation against a reliever opening a bullpen game. Those are the kinds of games that often turn into score-fests, and this year, that favors Chicago and its plethora of power hitters.
White Sox at Indians Betting Pick:
White Sox 6, Indians 4
White Sox at Indians Best Bet for September 21, 2020
Think over and thank us later. The news that Bieber won’t start until Wednesday night puts a much different spin on this game from a gambling aspect. The Indians probably will use at least five pitchers in their bullpen game, and the odds are good that one won’t have it.
White Sox at Indians Best Bet: OVER 8 total runs (-112)
–Field Level Media
