Chicago at Cleveland

The White Sox went to Houston and won both Wild Card games, 6-3 on Tuesday and 7-3 on Wednesday, scoring 13 runs over the two. I had the UNDER in Tuesday's opener, and it lost on that 6-3 Chicago win. Cleveland is the favorite with Parker Messick on the mound, and his 2.56 ERA over more than 186 innings explains why. Chicago starts a left-hander of its own. Hagen Smith gets the ball first after three scoreless innings in Tuesday's opener, and Cleveland posted a .675 OPS against left-handed pitching this season, 27th in baseball. The White Sox posted a .751 OPS against lefties, sixth, and Messick is a left-hander. Chicago also ranks fifth in runs scored and fifth in home runs, while Cleveland ranks 24th and 27th. Cleveland's staff has a 3.77 ERA to Chicago's 4.12, and the visitor's bats still have the edge. Chicago wins this afternoon.