Guardians vs White Sox Preview: Pitching Duel in Week 65

Cleveland is fighting back. The Guardians just dropped two games in a row and now they're 41-38 on the season. They've won four out of their last ten, so they're struggling right now. Parker Messick takes the mound for Cleveland on Tuesday night. The Guardians are missing some heavy hitters too. Jose Ramirez is out for weeks with a hand injury. Chase DeLauter and Angel Martinez are both on the injured list. Even with all these guys sidelined, Cleveland knows they can still compete. Their pitching has always been their strength, and Messick will need to throw strikes early and often.

Chicago won on Monday night, 6-5, in an extra-inning battle. The White Sox are now 40-37 and have the better record at home—they're 25-12 at Rate Field this season. Sean Burke is the probable pitcher for Chicago. Burke has a 5.16 ERA with 26 strikeouts in relief work so far. The White Sox are also dealing with injuries. Munetaka Murakami is out with a hamstring injury. Austin Hays hasn't played much because of calf issues. But Chicago's home field is a huge advantage. The White Sox have been nearly unbeatable at home this season.

Monday's game was wild. The White Sox won 6-5 in an amazing back-and-forth battle. Grichuk homered for Chicago in the sixth inning. The Guardians fought back hard with Watson and Hoskins both getting big hits. Then Manzardo hit a sacrifice fly that made it 5-4 Cleveland. But the White Sox answered right back in the bottom of the ninth. Antonacci's single scored two runs to win it. Both teams can hit. Both teams can fight. This matchup is far from decided.