−Catching corps banged up with Bart and Teel both hurt
−Leaning on a bullpen opener instead of a normal starter
First pitch is set for 1:10 PM CT, with Joey Cantillo (8-7, 3.87 ERA) taking the ball for Cleveland against Davis Martin (9-6, 4.13 ERA) for Chicago. Cantillo was solid in his last outing against the Mets, working 5 innings with 5 strikeouts against 2 walks. Martin's last time out was the opposite story — he got rocked for 9 earned runs on 10 hits in just 5 innings against Boston, the kind of start a team can't afford in a game that matters this much.
Joey Cantillo
(9-7)·3.73 ERA
Aug 4 vs Mets
L
5.0IP
2ER
5K
2BB
81P
08/09 Lineup
Davis Martin
(9-6)·4.32 ERA
Aug 4 @ Red Sox
L
5.0IP
9ER
1K
2BB
91P
08/09 Lineup
Chicago's already dealing with a beat-up catching room. Joey Bart fractured his left hand and Kyle Teel is out with an ankle injury, thinning a position that was supposed to be a strength for the White Sox. Chicago is also turning to Chris Murphy as a bullpen opener for Sunday's game, leaning on a patchwork pitching plan. Cleveland has its own rotation shuffle going, with Slade Cecconi moving to the bullpen after a rough stretch of starts.
None of that stopped the series from being tightly contested through two games — the Guardians took the opener 8-2 before the White Sox answered with a 6-3 win to even things up. Sunday decides who walks away with the edge, and it's shaping up as a coin-flip type of afternoon between two teams jockeying for position from opposite sides of .500.
Cleveland's form tells the story of a team that can't find any rhythm — 1-4 in its last 5, with the lone win coming against this same White Sox club. Chicago's sitting at the same 1-4 mark over its last 5, but it caught a needed win in game 2 of this set. Both clubs are treading water in August, and neither can afford to let this series slip away.
With Bart and Teel both out, Chicago's catching depth is being leaned on behind the plate for the rest of the season. Cleveland, meanwhile, needs its bullpen — now without Cecconi in the rotation — to hold up if this one turns into another slugfest like Friday's opener. Whoever handles the middle innings better probably wins the rubber match.
Guardians 3, White Sox 5: Final Score & Odds Recap — Guardians, White Sox Split Series, Set For Rubber Match
