2026 MLB ALDS: Guardians vs. White Sox Game 1 Preview and Betting Odds

The 2026 MLB playoffs roll into the divisional round on Saturday with four Game 1s unfolding. The first one of the day is Cleveland Guardians vs. Chicago White Sox as the White Sox enter the 2026 ALDS off a sweep of the Astros in the wild-card round, while the second-seeded Guardians had a bye. Lefty Parker Messick (12-9, 2.56 ERA) is the projected starter for Cleveland, while the White Sox will open with lefty Hagen Smith (3-3, 1.29 ERA.

First pitch from Progressive Field in Cleveland is at 1 p.m. ET. Cleveland is the -149 favorite (risk $149 to win $100) in the latest Guardians vs. White Sox odds, while the over/under is 7 runs. Before making any Guardians vs. White Sox picks, be sure to see the Braves vs. Phillies predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times and enters the 2026 MLB playoffs on a 31-25 run on all top-rated MLB money-line picks at betting sites, returning more than $900 for $100 players. Anyone following its picks at MLB betting sites could have seen strong returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on White Sox vs. Guardians and just locked in its picks and MLB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several MLB odds and betting lines for Guardians vs. White Sox:

Top White Sox vs. Guardians predictions

After 10,000 simulations of Guardians vs. White Sox, the model is going Over 7 combined runs for at the best betting apps. Chicago's offense was humming in the wild-card round against the Astros as the White Sox scored a combined 13 runs in those two games. Dating back to the regular season, Chicago has scored at least five runs in eight of its last nine. In total, 58% of Chicago's game this year went Over.

The trends are also strong when these teams meet. Eight of 13 games cleared the total this season, including all three games went they met in a mid-September series. The model projects 8.8 combined runs as the Over hits 61% of the time. Get the Guardians vs. White Sox money-line pick at SportsLine.

How to make Guardians vs. White Sox picks

After simulating every pitch of Guardians vs. White Sox 10,000 times, the model also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can get that pick at SportsLine.