Chicago White Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians April 18 Betting Preview & Picks

After finishing an interleague series with the San Francisco Giants over the weekend, the Cleveland Guardians (4-5) will host an AL Central showdown with the Chicago White Sox (6-3) to start the week.

This four-game series kicks off Monday from Progressive Field, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:10 pm ET.

The White Sox come into this one, having won two of three from the Tampa Bay Rays in their last series. They dropped the finale on Sunday 9-3.

After a four-game win streak, the Guardians cooled off immensely over the weekend, being swept by the Giants at home. They scored just four runs in the three games and dropped Sunday’s game 8-1.

Aaron Civale struggled, giving up four runs (three earned) in four innings. Catcher Austin Hedges had the only run batted in for Cleveland in their six-hit effort.

Betting Odds

The White Sox are the favorites in this one despite playing on the road. The spread features Cleveland +1.5 (-194), and the over/under for total runs is eight.

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Pitching Matchup

The White Sox will send veteran southpaw Dallas Keuchel (1-0, 5.40 ERA) to the mound for the opener. This will be his second start of the season after giving up three runs in five innings in a victory over the Mariners.

The Guardians will counter with ace Shane Bieber (0-0, 2.70 ERA). Bieber will be making his third start of the season. Still looking for his first win, Bieber gave up three runs in 5.1 innings in his last start against Cincinnati. Expect this to be an exciting pitching duel in Cleveland.

White Sox Look To Stay Hot Against Guardians

Despite finishing with just a 10-9 record overall against Cleveland last year, the White Sox are currently 4-2 in their last six games against the Guardians. The Southsiders will look to keep that momentum going in their first matchup of the 2022 season.

Offensively, Andrew Vaughn has been one of their best hitters to start the season. In 23 at bats, he is hitting .348/.400/.652 with two home runs, six runs batted in, and three runs scored.

Not too many people have had success against Bieber, but two players to keep an eye on are Jose Abreu and Eloy Jimenez. In his career versus the righty, Abreu is hitting .267 in 30 at bats with three home runs. Jimenez is three for eight against Bieber.

Guardians Look To End Losing Streak

For the span of four games, the Guardians seemed like the best team in baseball, especially with an offense that produced 44 runs in four games.

Unfortunately, they looked like a completely different team over the weekend, and they will look to Bieber to stop the bleeding and end the losing streak.

As has become the norm, Jose Ramirez has been the hottest hitter for the Guardians to start the season. He is hitting .457/.500/.886 and leads (or is tied for the lead) in home runs (three) and runs batted in (15). Against Keuchel, he is hitting .318 in 22 at bats with four runs batted in.

One of the most pleasant surprises of the 2022 season has been the play of 25-year-old Owen Miller. In 28 at bats, the first baseman is hitting .500/.545/.964 with two home runs and seven runs batted in. He also leads the team with nine runs scored.

Guardians Look To Run Support For Their Ace

The Guardians don’t need to put up 44 runs over four games for their team to have success in this series, but they do need to give more than the four runs they gave their starters in three games over the weekend.

Especially with Lance Lynn and Lucas Giolito on the injured list, the Guardians might be catching Chicago at the right time for their first series. 

Furthermore, despite getting his win in his first outing, veteran Dallas Keuchel has been anything but inconsistent for the White Sox in recent years.

If the Guardians can muster a few runs in this one, it might be all that Shane Bieber needs in order to bring Cleveland their first home win of the season.