The American League divisional round continues Monday night, as the Chicago White Sox visit the Cleveland Guardians for Game 2 of the ALDS at Progressive Field.
The White Sox struck first in the best-of-five series with a 3–0 Game 1 win, fueled by a dazzling bullpen performance and a two-run blast from star first baseman Munetaka Murakami.
Heading into October, the South Siders went 7–6 against their AL Central rival during the regular season.
Looking at the pitching probables, southpaw Anthony Kay (10–9, 4.44 ERA) is opening for Chicago, with right-hander Sean Burke (11–7, 3.34 ERA) handling bulk relief. Righty Gavin Williams (14–8, 3.76 ERA) will take the hill for Cleveland.
First pitch is 5 p.m. ET. The Guardians enter as 1.5-run home favorites with -156 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The White Sox are +129 underdogs, with the game total set at O/U 6.5 runs.
White Sox vs. Guardians ALDS Game 2 Preview
Chicago White Sox
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Fresh off a masterfully executed bullpen game to open the ALDS, the White Sox are returning to the well in Game 2. Southpaw Anthony Kay is penciled in to face the top of the Guardians’ order, with right-hander Sean Burke lined up to handle bulk relief.
Burke, 26, is coming off a breakout campaign in 2026, posting a 3.34 ERA with 185 strikeouts across 32 outings (172.1 IP). He channeled that momentum into a strong postseason debut, striking out eight Astros over four innings in Game 2 of the Wild Card. Although he struggled to eschew the long ball — serving up three earned runs on a trio of solo shots — he now faces a division rival that he’d had success against in the past. In three regular-season matchups with the Guardians this year, Burke boasted a 1.04 ERA with 21 strikeouts over 17.1 innings.
He’ll look to keep the Guardians at bay while letting Chicago’s potent batting order do the rest. The White Sox piled up 19 hits and 13 runs over 18 innings in Houston, then kept the good times rolling with Munetaka Murakami’s two-run bomb in the ALDS opener. The franchise heads into Game 2 without trailing once since the postseason began.
Cleveland Guardians
The Guardians are inevitable in October. Following a largely underwhelming regular season, they rallied for nine wins in their last 11 games to snatch their third straight AL Central title — and fourth in the last five years.
During that stretch, Cleveland’s once underperforming offense became one of the hottest in baseball, ranking in MLB’s top five in wRC+, wOBA, and home runs. Star third baseman Jose Ramirez finally came alive in that span, hitting .286 with five multi-hit games in the last two weeks. They’ll look to recapture that late-season dominance after mustering only three hits in Game 1 against the White Sox.
Meanwhile, Cleveland turns to Gavin Williams to stave off a potential 2–0 series deficit. The 27-year-old right-hander is coming off a career-best campaign, posting a 3.76 ERA with an AL-best 248 strikeouts across 32 starts (184.1 IP). He also finished strong with a 2.54 ERA over five September starts. Still, Williams’ numbers dipped slightly when facing the formidable White Sox lineup this year, posting a 3.98 ERA with 28 strikeouts in four starts (20.1 IP).
White Sox vs. Guardians ALDS Game 2 Pick, Best Bet
Momentum is everything in October, and it’s currently on Chicago’s side heading into Monday night. The White Sox bullpen shoved in the series opener and should do it again with long reliever Sean Burke, whom the Guardians had no answer for in the regular season. After a shutout win in Game 1, the South Siders are well-positioned to take a commanding 2–0 series lead over their division rival.
