White Sox Beat Guardians 4-3, Take 2-0 ALDS Lead

The Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Guardians 4-3 on Monday at Progressive Field, taking a 2-0 ALDS lead and moving within one win of the ALCS. The defining storyline was simple: Cleveland's ace delivered, and it still wasn't enough.

Gavin Williams was every bit the best arm in this series — 5 innings, 2 earned runs, 4 hits, 11 strikeouts, 3 walks. Chicago chased Anthony Kay after just one out and plated three runs in the sixth to swing the game for good.

Premium pick grade

• White Sox moneyline (+128): WIN. The coin-flip read on this game was right, and the plus-money price paid.
• White Sox +1.5 run line: WIN. Chicago won outright, so the cushion was never needed.
• Under: LOSS. Seven combined runs cleared the number, and the low-run environment we expected never materialized.

Prop results

• Chase Meidroth over 0.5 hits (-148): WIN. Two hits on four at-bats.
• Chase DeLauter over 1.5 total bases (+154): WIN. Two hits and two total bases got the over across at plus money.
• Munetaka Murakami over 0.5 walks (+104): LOSS. He finished with one hit, one RBI and no walks.

Takeaway

Fading a home favorite at a .500 home record keeps working, and the White Sox at plus money were the right side. But a strong starting pitcher on the other side suppresses run scoring less than the number suggests when the bullpens and the sixth inning decide games. Expect more total volatility in this series than the pitching matchups imply.