Guardians and White Sox Kick Off Crucial Four-Game Series in Chicago

CHICAGO, IL — The Cleveland Guardians will face the Chicago White Sox in a four-game series starting Thursday night at Rate Field. The first pitch is set for 7:40 p.m. as Logan Allen takes the mound for Cleveland against Chicago’s Jonathan Cannon.

The Guardians come into this series with a record of 43-48 after a much-needed three-game sweep of the Houston Astros, scoring a total of 21 runs. This victory broke a troubling 10-game losing streak for Cleveland. Earlier this season, the Guardians swept a three-game series against the White Sox at home in April and hold a 3-0 advantage against Chicago this year.

“This series is important for us to keep the momentum going,” Guardians manager said. “We want to build on our recent success.”

The White Sox, on the other hand, are struggling with a 31-62 record, but recently managed to avoid a three-game sweep against the Toronto Blue Jays by winning 2-1 on Wednesday. Despite their challenges this season, they have historically dominated this matchup, holding a slight overall lead of 1,129-1,127 against Cleveland.

In the pitching matchup for Thursday, Logan Allen (5-7, 4.07 ERA) will face off against Jonathan Cannon (3-7, 4.90 ERA). Allen has shown improvement lately, allowing three or fewer earned runs in his last five starts. Meanwhile, Cannon has had his own struggles, having allowed five earned runs in two of his last four starts, raising concerns about his performance.

Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan has been effective against the White Sox this season, hitting .364 with one home run and four RBIs in 11 at-bats. For the White Sox, Mike Tauchman is also playing well, hitting .429 against the Guardians in limited at-bats.

Injuries are a concern for both teams, with several key players on the injured list. The Guardians will be without OF Lane Thomas and RHP Shane Bieber, while the White Sox are missing OF Burks Baldwin and RHP Davis Martin, among others.

The Guardians will begin the All-Star break on Monday, not returning to play until July 18 when they host the Oakland Athletics for a three-game series.