Guardians 

Guardians, White Sox renew rivalry with AL Central lead at stake

CLEVELAND — When the White Sox and Guardians met for the first time this season last week, Chicago came away with a three-game series win at Rate Field in which each contest was decided by a single run.

If that proves to be an appetizer for what’s in store this weekend, we could be in for a treat.

The White Sox (45-40) and Guardians (45-42) will meet for four games at Progressive Field, beginning Thursday, in a clash of two teams pacing the AL Central standings.

The Guardians have a lot of respect for the White Sox turnaround this season, following Chicago’s three consecutive 100-plus-loss seasons. Cleveland even sees some parallels given both clubs’ abundance of up-and-coming players.

Chicago enters this matchup with a one-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central standings.

“They’re a young team, very similar to us,” said Guardians starter Parker Messick, who logged a career-high 10 strikeouts in the Chicago’s 2-1 win over Cleveland on June 23. “They have their veteran leadership and then a lot of young guys. It’s kind of how we play.

“They play that same kind of baseball, and it’s super fun to watch, and it’s fun to play against as a team that does something similar.”

Pitching probables

Injuries of note

White Sox: Munetaka Murakami, the power-hitting first baseman whose presence has changed the White Sox franchise with his 20 home runs and .938 OPS, has been out of action for five weeks due to a right hamstring strain. He’s taking batting practice and running, but manager Will Venable told reporters in Baltimore there’s still no set date for his return. Rookie Jacob Gonzalez has been a strong replacement in Murakami’s absence.

Guardians: Third baseman José Ramírez is on the 10-day injured list after he underwent surgery for a left hamate fracture on June 16, for which he was given a return timetable of five to seven weeks. The seven-time All-Star had his stitches removed on Tuesday, but he is weeks away from returning. So is outfielder Angel Martínez, who was given a timetable of four to six weeks after going on the IL with a non-displaced left foot fracture on June 16.

Are these the only teams with a chance to win the AL Central?

Never try to figure out the AL Central until close to the season’s end, but It sure looks that way at least as of the start of July. The Twins (42-46) have been competitive, but will that sort of performance last the full season? Then again, it’s the same question some people are possibly asking about the upstart White Sox. The Tigers (38-49) are coming off a sweep of the Yankees where their starting pitching was virtually untouchable, but the White Sox still hold an eight-game lead over Detroit.

The White Sox have more talent to choose from within their system, such as left-hander Hagen Smith (Chicago’s No. 4 prospect, No. 56 overall, according to MLB Pipeline) and right-handers Tanner McDougal (No. 6 prospect) and Shane Smith, and they will be active to some level at the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline. They have believed in themselves since back in Spring Training and even a less than perfect weekend in Cleveland won’t change that fact. — Merkin

Manager Stephen Vogt has likewise noted on a few occasions recently how the AL Central always seems to come down to the wire. The White Sox and Guardians have established themselves as the frontrunners so far, but the Twins and Tigers are hanging around enough where we can’t count them out yet.

Detroit might be the most interesting wild card here. The Tigers had a rough May (6-22), sit fourth in the division standings and may have some decisions to make leading up to the Trade Deadline, including on ace and pending free agent Tarik Skubal. But the Tigers entered this season with postseason aspirations and have gone 16-11 since the start of June. With a strong stretch over the coming weeks, this race could get a lot more interesting. — Stebbins

Where the White Sox stand

Their June schedule was tough, with games against the Phillies, Dodgers, Yankees, Braves and their first three games against the Guardians from June 22-24 at home. They not only survived the month, but finished 13-12, winning that series against Cleveland behind a Sam Antonacci walk-off single against closer Cade Smith in Game 1, to take over first place in the division. The offense has stayed strong during Murakami’s injury absence, buoyed by shortstop Colson Montgomery’s power, Miguel Vargas’ overall excellence and the return of Kyle Teel behind the plate.

Martin, who has been the White Sox top starter, is a good way to open this four-game set for the South Siders after a 6-1 loss to Baltimore on Wednesday. He has yielded 31 earned runs in 93 innings, but 15 of those runs came across two starts against the Twins and Yankees. The White Sox are one of the best home teams in baseball (28-14), but even with the series win at Baltimore this week, they are 17-26 on the road. And Progressive Field has never been a particular friendly venue for them.

Where the Guardians stand

The Guardians went 10-15 in June, when Ramírez, Chase DeLauter (right rib cage fracture) and Martínez each went on the injured list. DeLauter was activated on Sunday, but Cleveland has felt the impact of three key lineup contributors going down. The Guardians ranked 29th in the Majors in runs scored (87) last month.

The Guardians knew they would have to tread some water given those injuries. They struggled in June, though what they experienced last year has offered context recently. Cleveland went 9-16 in June last season. It lost its final four games of the month as part of an eventual 10-game skid, which dropped the Guardians to 15 1/2 games back of the Tigers in the division race.

Vogt was asked Wednesday whether the turn of the calendar to a new month truly can represent a clean slate. He said, in part, “I think it’s what your team needs in that moment. I definitely think we’re happy it’s July 1. That was a tough month. We went through a lot. It seems like we did last year [in June, too].”

Post-series outlook

These two teams meet from Aug. 7-9 in Chicago and Sept. 14-16 in Cleveland. So, there’s head-to-head possibilities after this four-game Fourth of July weekend get together. Both teams could look quite a bit different with those six games coming after the Trade Deadline, when key players such as Murakami, Ramirez and Martinez will be back from the injured list.