Chicago White Sox vs Cleveland Guardians April 21 Betting Preview

Finally, after two days washed away due to weather, the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians were able to get in a doubleheader on Wednesday. With the Guardians taking the first two games of the series, they will look for the sweep Thursday afternoon, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:10 p.m.

The Guardians dominated the first game of the twin bill on Wednesday 11-1. In the victory, the team put up ten runs in the first two innings, powered by a Jose Ramirez grand slam off of Dallas Keuchel.

The Guardians were able to take the second game as well, 2-1. Triston McKenzie allowed one run in 4.1 innings of work. Jose Ramirez picked up his 20th run batted in of the early season as well.

Betting Odds

Despite the Guardians winning both on Wednesday, it is the White Sox who are the favorites Thursday. They are -140 to win while the Guardians’ moneyline sits at +117. The spread features Cleveland +1.5 (-140), and the over/under for total runs is eight.

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Pitching Matchup

Dylan Cease (2-0, 1.69 ERA) will take the ball for the White Sox in the finale. He has been sensational early on this season as he has 16 strikeouts in just 10.2 innings of work to go along with a 0.94 WHIP.

The Guardians will counter with righty Zach Plesac (0-1, 1.64 ERA). Plesac picked up a hard-luck loss in his last outing despite going 5.1 innings, giving up just two earned runs.

White Sox Look To Salvage The Finale

While it is early in the season, the Guardians are trying to make a statement with their early play. On Thursday, the White Sox will try to salvage the finale as they once again try to prove they are the team to beat in the AL Central.

Leading the way for the White Sox offense in the early going is outfielder Andrew Vaughn. In 29 at bats, he is hitting .310/.375/.552 with two home runs and six runs batted in.

Against Plesac, there are a couple of players who have had success. Luis Robert is five for ten against the righty, while Jose Abreu and Tim Anderson have combined for three home runs in 35 at bats.

Streaky Guardians Look For Sweep

After a weekend where they were swept at home by the San Francisco Giants, the streaky Guardians have the opportunity to complete their own sweep at Progressive Field on Thursday against the division rival White Sox.

There may be no hotter hitter in baseball right now than Guardians’ third baseman Jose Ramirez. After hitting a grand slam in the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader, he is now hitting .429/.479/.881 with a team-leading four home runs and 20 runs batted in. He also has scored seven times.

The key for the Guardians is their pitching, though. While the 11-run outburst was nice in the first game Wednesday, the fact that they held a loaded White Sox offense to a combined two runs in two games is the real reason they have already won the series.

Plesac Will Have His Hands Full With Cease

Even before the games were played, the Guardians had the upper hand on paper in the pitching matchups in both games on Wednesday. With the electric start that Dylan Cease has gotten off to this season, that might not be the case on Thursday.

That is no slight against Zach Plesac, who has also been solid, but Cease has been one of the best in the big leagues through two starts.

If the Guardians’ offense can even scratch a few runs across against Cease and the White Sox on Thursday, they should have a good chance to not only win this game but sweep the abbreviated three-game series.