White Sox Face Guardians in Decisive ALDS Game 5

The Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians will settle their American League Division Series at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Saturday, October 10, with the winner advancing to face the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Championship Series. Chicago will start right-hander Sean Burke, while Cleveland turns to Gavin Williams for the winner-take-all Game 5, scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on TBS and truTV.

Cleveland enters the decisive matchup after the White Sox lost their final two home games by a combined score of 18-8. However, Chicago has performed strongly on the road throughout the postseason, winning all four away games and outscoring opponents 20-9, according to the RotoWire preview.

Burke enters Game 5 with a 1-0 record and a 3.86 ERA across one postseason start and one relief appearance. He has also recorded a 0.64 WHIP and 14 strikeouts over 9 1/3 innings in the playoffs, according to RotoWire.

Cleveland will counter with Williams, who finished the regular season 14-8 with a 3.76 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP across 32 starts. His 248 strikeouts ranked second in the major leagues, according to the preview.

Williams also presents a workload consideration after appearing in relief during Game 4. He threw 18 pitches over one inning, leaving Cleveland to manage his preparation and potential length in the series finale.

In his previous start against Chicago in Game 2, Williams allowed two runs on four hits and three walks over 98 pitches. The Guardians lost that game 4-3, despite Williams recording 11 strikeouts, according to RotoWire.

Williams has recorded at least 11 strikeouts in four of his past six starts, according to the same report. He also struck out seven White Sox hitters in a regular-season home game on September 14.

The Guardians are playing their third consecutive elimination game, while Chicago must recover from consecutive defeats at home. Game 5 will determine which team advances to the ALCS against Tampa Bay.