Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Guardians will be facing off with a second-place team from the AL Central. For the third year in a row, rivals will clash. This time, it’s the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox meeting for an ALDS showdown.
As usual, despite the Guardians winning the division, the team is filled with question marks. The offense is one of the worst in baseball and, realistically, the worst left in the playoffs. However, despite the stats, their timely hitting and hustle powered them to a division title.
For the White Sox, if you had guessed they would be the only team playing October baseball in Chicago, I think the whole world would call you insane. The White Sox went from one of baseball’s worst teams to a lineup ready to make some noise right now. This isn’t a team that will be happy with just an ALDS appearance; they’ve got guys who are ready for the moment.
Chicago looked great in their Wild Card series against the Astros. Not only did they look great, but they also won big with hitless performances from their best bat, Miguel Vargas. Unfortunately, they’ll face a massive step up in talent against a very good Guardians pitching staff.
Parker Messick will be on the mound for game one in Cleveland, and he’s entering the series with plenty of momentum. Messick will likely finish on the podium in this year’s Cy Young race, and he’s already had great starts against the Sox. In just under 26 innings, he’s had a 1.99 ERA in four starts against Chicago.
However, Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt has his work cut out for him in game one. Hagan Smith will start for the White Sox, and the hard-throwing lefty poses challenges for the Guards. It’s no secret that Cleveland has struggled against lefties, with most of their best hitters hitting on that side of the plate. Will Vogt start David Fry or even Rhys Hoskins get the start, or will Nathaniel Lowe start despite his struggles against lefties?
Cleveland’s last-season heroics stole the division back-to-back years, but they weren’t enough in 2025 to get them past Detroit. Can they flip the script and win back the AL Central Crown, or will Chicago’s shocking playoff run continue with an ALCS appearance?
I’m going with the Guardians at -162 to win this series and advance to a matchup with one of their AL East foes.
