MLB Game Preview for Wednesday August 17, 2011: Cleveland Indians @ Chicago White Sox

Sports Betting Online Overview

We are hitting the home stretch in the MLB playoff race, and now is the time for some of these teams to start making their move. The Cleveland Indians had spent the majority of the time leading up to the All-Star break in first place in the AL Central. After the All-Star break, the Detroit Tigers came in and took the AL Central lead. But as we get to the last month and a half of the regular season, the Tigers are finding stiff competition in teams like the Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals. A current two-game losing streak from the Tigers and a two-game winning streak by the Indians has put Cleveland to within two games of the Tigers and the AL Central lead. But the Chicago White Sox are hot on Cleveland’s trail and could be a problem for the Indians.

 

The Chicago White Sox are 8-2 in the last 10 games and have pulled to within three and a half games of the AL Central lead. MLB betting experts are watching the AL Central race with great interest as it is one of the few races left in MLB that involves more than two teams. Chicago comes into this series playing some of the best baseball they have played all year. They have cut down on the fielding errors, are smarter on the base paths and have been hitting the ball well. It is almost enough to make White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen smile. But there is still a lot of work to do in Chicago.

 

Cleveland Indians

Fausto Carmona is starting on the mound for the Indians and Carmona continues his path to pitching his way out of the starting rotation. He is 5-12 on the season with a 5.12 ERA. In his last 10 starts he is 2-5, and his runs per game average is higher than his strikeouts per game in that stretch. His most recent start was August 11th against the Detroit Tigers where he went seven innings and gave up three runs on seven hits. That is not a bad outing, but he lost that game because he is also not getting any run support. This has not been a banner year for Fausto Carmona.

 

Chicago White Sox

White Sox starting pitcher Mark Buehrle, on the other hand, is pitching well as of late. The MLB baseball scores have been going his way as he is 4-1 in his last 10 starts. He has also posted an impressive 1.95 ERA in that stretch which includes three shutouts. Buehrle is on a roll just when the White Sox need him to be, and he is also starting to get some run support now that Chicago has picked up its offense.

 

The Bottom Line

The AL Central has the only three-way pennant race left in the majors. MLB fans love a good pennant race, but Tigers fans are starting to get a little worried. The Chicago White Sox can pull to within a game or two of the Tigers if Chicago can sweep Cleveland in this series. The Indians can get themselves back into the AL Central lead if they can take down the White Sox. This should be a good series, but this first game swings heavily in favor of the Chicago White Sox.

 

Pick: Chicago White Sox

 

 

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