The Reds and White Sox will play the second game of their three-game series on Saturday. These two franchises have not met since 2018.
With a 33-17 record, the Chicago White Sox have clinched a spot in the postseason. The goal now for Chicago is to hold off the Minnesota Twins, who trail them by three games in the division. In the first round of the 2020 postseason, the team with the best record will host every game in a best-of-three series, so Chicago wants to finish strong in their final 10 games.
The Cincinnati Reds are 25-26 and currently second in the NL Central. The Reds have a challenging schedule remaining as they will see the White Sox, Brewers, and Twins in their final nine games. Cincinnati currently holds a 0.5 game lead over the third-place Cardinals and trail the first-place Chicago Cubs by 5.5 games.
**This preview was written before the White Sox and Reds played on Friday night.**
White Sox clinch postseason for the first time since 2008
The White Sox have won 11 of their last 13 games after pulling out a 4-3 comeback victory against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday.
Outside of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago has gotten the best balance of good pitching and hitting combined. The Sox are second in MLB batting .272, fourth with 267 runs scored, and fifth with 83 home runs this season.
Shortstop Tim Anderson has been tremendous, currently second in MLB with a .365 AVG, while adding eight home runs, 19 RBI, and five steals. Jose Abreu could be the 2020 AL-MVP, batting .332 with 17 home runs and 52 RBI. Outfielder Eloy Jimenez is third on the team with a .301 batting average and second with 13 home runs and 38 RBI. Luis Roberts leads the team with eight stolen bases and has 11 home runs and 30 RBI.
The White Sox will start one of their ace's, Dallas Keuchel, who is 6-2 with a 2.19 ERA on the season. He has no-decisions in two career starts and a 3.21 ERA facing the Reds. Keuchel will be making his first start since September 6 after missing some time with back spasms. In his last start, Keuchel pitched five shutout innings in an 8-2 win over the Kansas City Royals. As a team, Chicago has a 3.45 ERA, which is the third-best in baseball.
Reds looking to hold on to playoff spot
With their backs against the wall, the Reds have begun to play like a team that wants to be in the postseason. The Reds were off on Thursday after winning their fifth straight game on Wednesday, 1-0 over Pittsburgh.
The Reds bats are hitting an MLB worst .212 on the season, but the power has been there as they are 7th in MLB with 75 home runs, but only 27th with 200 runs scored. Jesse Winker leads the Reds with a .264 average and has added 10 home runs and 19 RBI. Eugenio Suarez has hit a team-high 13 homers and 30 RBI, followed by Nick Castellanos with 12 home runs and 29 RBI.
The Reds pitching staff has been solid, ranking ninth in MLB with a 4.04 ERA. Tyler Mahle, who is 1-2 with a 4.31 ERA, will be facing the White Sox for the first time in his career on Saturday. Mahle is coming off of his worst start of the season, allowing three runs on four hits and four walks in only 2 ⅔ innings last Sunday, in a 10-5 win against St. Louis.
Notable Trends
- Reds are 1-5 in their last 6 games as a home underdog.
- White Sox are 21-5 in their last 26 vs. a team with a losing record.
- White Sox are 9-1 in their last 10 road games vs. a team with a losing record.
