White Sox vs. Guardians: Setting the Stage for the Series

Two division rivals looking to pull off a Cinderella run: that's how I'd sum up the series between the White Sox and the Guardians.

After watching the White Sox sweep the Astros in two games, what's next for Chicago? And who will Cleveland be up against?

The Pitchers

The Guardians' rotation is stronger. Plus, the rest they got during the “best second-place team” series and Sunday's off-day in the American League will help.

Parker Messick (who has pitched well against the Sox this season, is having a breakout rookie year, and will receive Cy Young votes) and Gavin Williams will start the first two games.

They're also expected to start Games 4 and 5, if needed.

Tanner Bibee, Foster Griffin, Daniel Espino, Joey Cantillo, and others will be options for Game #3 and for relief pitching throughout the series.

For the White Sox, the situation is less clear. They used an opener in Game #1 (Hagen Smith) and Sean Burke in Game #2.

Davis Martin or another bullpen day could be options for Saturday. Erick Fedde and Anthony Kay are also available.

In the bullpen, the Guardians have the best weapon: Cade Smith. The Canadian is a force in the late innings.

The American League's September Reliever of the Month should make the difference.

Your AL and NL Relievers of the Month for September:

Cade Smith: 13.0 IP, 21 Ks, 0.00 ERA, 6 saves
Mason Montgomery: 13.0 IP, 16 Ks, 2.08 ERA, 11 saves pic.twitter.com/zBw0JArvzP

— MLB (@MLB) September 29, 2026

Erik Sabrowski, Tim Herrin, Hunter Gaddis, and Matt Festa make up a group of guys who are tough to face.

For the White Sox, their No. 1 reliever (Grant Taylor) threw 54 pitches on Wednesday. Otherwise, some starters could step in to help out in relief.

Jordan Hicks, Sean Newcomb, Noah Schulzt, and company can step in.

Basically, the White Sox bullpen is holding up, but the team could run out of options if the series goes the distance.

Position Players

In Chicago, Chase Meidroth, Munetaka Murakami, Braden Montgomery, Miguel Vargas, Tristan Peters, Randal Grichuk, Kyle Teel, Andrew Benintendi, and Sam Antonacci are ones to watch.

It's a more intimidating offense than the Guardians'. There's more depth and more power in Chicago.

Of course, for the Guardians, a lot revolves around Jose Ramirez, the team's star player.

If he's playing well, his team is in a much better position to do some damage.

José Ramírez reaches 1,000 career RBI with a home run! pic.twitter.com/iP6kNTupZ9

— MLB (@MLB) September 19, 2026

We shouldn't underestimate the impact of Steven Kwan, Chase DeLauter, Bryan Rocchio, and Travis Bazzana, who form the core of the lineup.

However, this gives the White Sox the edge on offense—by a wide margin.

The Managers

Stephen Vogt, with the Guardians, has an excellent reputation. He's led his team to three division titles and made it to the Championship Series in 2024.

He has a good chance of making it back this year.

For the White Sox, Will Venable is making his first playoff appearance and remains undefeated so far, despite not having this year's top pitching staff at his disposal.

That's worth noting.

The Unpredictables

No matter which team advances to the Championship Series, it will have accomplished something truly impressive.

But facing the winner of the Rays vs. Yankees series won't be easy…

Created by humans, assisted by AI.