The American League Central Division is home to the closest division race in baseball, and there is still a lot to be decided in the final four days of the regular season. The Cleveland Indians needed a big series against the Chicago White Sox, and, boy, have they ever gotten it. Entering their four-game series with the White Sox, the division crown looked out of reach, but three wins later and first place is very much in play for the Indians. They got within two games of the White Sox with a walk-off 3-2 victory on Wednesday night. The Minnesota Twins took over the division lead with their win over the Detroit Tigers, and they now lead Chicago by 0.5 game and Cleveland by 2.5. The Indians are leading the season series with Chicago 7-2.
Jordan Luplow, who struck out in each of his first three plate appearances in his first game since Sunday, hit a 388-foot home run deep into the left field stands to send the Indians to their fourth straight win to keep their division title hopes alive. Both starting pitchers pitched well, with Shane Bieber throwing five innings and striking out 10 for Cleveland, while Lucas Giolito struck out 11 in six innings for the Sox. Carlos Santana also homered for the Indians.
White Sox fall out of first place
The Chicago White Sox, who were 32-16 just over a week ago, have now lost four straight games and six of their last eight to fall out of first place, a half-game behind the Minnesota Twins. They are also in danger of falling behind Cleveland for second place in the division if they lose the final game of the series on Thursday.
"We got a great pitching performance from Lucas," manager Rick Renteria said on espn.com. "Certainly what we needed to get, and he did a great job. We played a good ballgame, so all we can do is put it behind us and get ready to play the next one."
As they close in on the final weekend of the regular season, a couple White Sox players have a chance at some league-leading totals. Tim Anderson is fourth in the majors with a .346 batting average, 10 points behind the leader, while Jose Abreu’s 19 home runs is two behind the leader. Abreu also has 57 RBI this season to lead the majors, while his 74 hits is tied for first in baseball. He is also in the top 10 in batting average (.329) and OPS (1.021).
Dallas Keuchel takes the mound for the White Sox in the series finale on Thursday. He has been exceptional this season, going 6-2 with a 2.04 ERA. He has not given up a run in his last two starts, and Keuchel hasn’t given up an earned run in his last three starts, covering 14 innings. He hasn’t given up more than three runs in any start, and he did that only once. This will be his 11th start of the season. Keuchel has actually pitched better on the road this season, posting a 1.62 ERA away from home. He has pitched nine times against the Indians in his career, going 4-1 with a 2.86 ERA in those starts. Keuchel has two complete games versus Cleveland in his career.
Indians making late push for division title
On September 17, the Cleveland Indians were just 26-23 heading into a four-game series with the Detroit Tigers, trying desperately to hold on to a playoff spot. Just seven days later, Cleveland has clinched a playoff spot and is looking for more. Since last Thursday, they have won six of seven games from the Tigers and White Sox, and have cut their deficit considerably in the AL Central. They have beaten the White Sox by three, two, and one runs in their three games in this series.
Jose Ramirez enters the final four games with 17 home runs and 44 RBI, which is third and sixth in the majors, respectively. He also leads the Indians with a .286 batting average and a .975 OPS. Cleveland has hit just 57 home runs for the season, while batting just .228. Luplow’s game-winning home run on Thursday was just his 14th hit of the season.
“I was trying to be aggressive and get a good pitch to hit," Luplow said on espn.com. "I just treated it the same as in any other situation."
Zach Plesac gets the call for the Indians on Thursday. He is 4-2 with a 1.85 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP this season. Plesac struck out 11 batters in 7.2 shutout innings in a 1-0 win over the Detroit Tigers on Friday. He is 1-2 in his two-year career versus the White Sox with a 2.42 ERA in four starts. However, he has faced them twice this season, throwing 14 scoreless innings in his two starts against Chicago.
Notable Trends
Trends found on oddsshark.com:
- The Indians are 6-1 in their last seven games overall
- The Indians are 8-4 in their last 12 home games
- The White Sox are 1-5 in their last six games overall
- The White Sox are 0-5 in their last five games versus Cleveland
- The White Sox are 1-5 in their last six road games
- The White Sox are 1-4 in their last five games versus an American League opponent
