With 25 games left to go in the regular season, it’s looking more and more like Wild Card or bust for Cleveland fans – especially after the Tribe got swept by the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend. They’ll return to The Jake for a four-game series versus the Chicago White Sox; the finale is Thursday afternoon at 2:10 PM ET on the MLB Network.
Zach Plesac (3.61 ERA) gets the nod for Cleveland as he tries to improve on his 12-5 team record, although he’s gotten plenty of help along the way – the OVER is 10-7 behind the rookie righty, with his teammates supplying 5.53 runs per game in support. 2B Jason Kipnis (.724 OPS) has been sidelined with tendinitis in his right wrist; however, he could return to action as soon as Wednesday.
The White Sox have Reynaldo Lopez (5.41 ERA) penciled in for Thursday’s contest. The fourth-year righty – who recently fought off a flu bug – has a team record of 12-16 with the total split at 14-14, but Lopez has also had some success against Cleveland, providing back-to-back quality starts in May. The Sox split the pair, driving the UNDER to the pay window both times.
