White Sox vs. Guardians Picks & Prediction

This is a FREE PLAY on the WHITE SOX on the RUNLINE.

The White Sox turn to Anthony Kay in Game 2, and he's worked out of the bullpen in two of Chicago's first three playoff games. Last night Hagen Smith and closer Grant Taylor helped combine to post a three-hitter in yesterday's 3-0 series-opening victory.

In five total appearances against the Guardians this season, Kay is 1-0 with a 1.27 ERA (spanning 21 1/3 innings of work). 

They'll be opposed by Gavin Williams, who finished 14-8 with a 3.76 ERA during the regular-season.

Williams looked poor in his final outing of the regular season, lasting only 3 1/3's innings against the Royals, allowing four runs off five hits. 

I think that CHICAGO on the RUNLINE option is worth a "second look."

Good luck, NP

Marc David's MLB Free Pick

We really like home favorite in this matchup. The White Sox (84-78) are riding a wave of momentum after sweeping the Astros and taking Game 1 3-0, but this is a very different pitching setup. They are going with another bullpen game, with lefty Anthony Kay (4.44 ERA) expected to open before Sean Burke takes the bulk of the innings. Their bats have been hot, but they now face a starter who has had their number in the box score all year.

The Guardians (85-77) hand the ball to Gavin Williams (14-8, 3.76 ERA, 248 K), who is a legitimate strikeout machine and has made four starts against Chicago this season. Cleveland finished the regular season on an 24-11 run, the second-best mark in baseball over that stretch, and they were shut out in Game 1 in a game where their bullpen had to cover more than half the innings. At home with their season in the balance, they should be able to give Williams a longer leash and get some of the hitters going.

Chicago is playing great baseball, but the Guardians are the more complete team here and they know they need this one. We like them to bounce back at home against a patchwork White Sox pitching plan.

This is a FREE PLAY on the GUARDIANS. 

11-2 since Oct 2, 2026 in All Sports! Marc David Sports is opening the week with 2 premium picks, 1 NFL 1 MLB. 

FREE PLAY — UNDER 6.5 CHI WHITE SOX/CLEVELAND — 5:00 ET

The pitching matchup and one active historical system point toward a low-scoring game.

One of our systems applies when both teams enter off particularly low-scoring games. The historical results favor the UNDER. Chicago is coming off a 3-0 victory, creating the appropriate low-scoring setup for today's matchup.

Gavin Williams provides the strongest organic support. His home report card is excellent. Williams has a 2.84 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in Cleveland, with 150 strikeouts in 107.2 home innings.

His recent home work has also been strong. Across recent home starts against Oakland, Chicago and Detroit, Williams surrendered only four earned runs over 18 innings while striking out 27.

Anthony Kay isn't nearly as strong, particularly on the road, which is why the extremely low 6.5 keeps this strictly in the free-play category.

The system support and Williams' home profile make the UNDER the preferred free total.

Play to: UNDER 6.5.