The Chicago White Sox are in a playoff race with the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central. The two teams will play each other in a pivotal three-game series this week.
This is the White Sox' last opportunity to push Cleveland down in the standings.
After dropping their series opener in Detroit, the White Sox won the next two games vs. the last-place Tigers.
The Guardians took home a win from a five-game series with the Twins on Monday to extend their division lead by four games. The Sox are four games back in the division and the Twins are seven games back.
Here's all you need to know about the division race with less than three weeks left in the regular season.
AL Central standings (as of Tuesday)
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Guardians | 80 | 67 | .544 | - |
| Chicago White Sox | 76 | 71 | .517 | 4 |
| Minnesota Twins | 73 | 74 | .500 | 7 |
| Kansas City Royals* | 58 | 89 | .395 | 22 |
| Detroit Tigers* | 56 | 91 | .381 | 24 |
MLB
* - eliminated
Head-to-head records (tiebreaker)
Guardians: 13-6 vs. Twins (clinched tiebreaker), 9-7 vs. White Sox
If the White Sox sweep the Guardians, they'd own the tiebreaker over Cleveland. If they lose one game, the Guardians will solidify the tiebreaker.
If the Minnesota Twins were to reinject themselves back into the title race, the Twins currently hold the tiebreaker over the White Sox (6-7). The Twins and White Sox have two three-game series remaining, six games in Minnesota and the final three games of the season in Chicago. Those series could be pivotal for the AL Central race, but the tiebreaker as well.
Magic number
The Guardians' magic number to clinch the division is 13.
Playoff Odds
According to ESPN, the Guardians own the overwhelming odds to clinch a playoff spot with 89.7 percent odds. The White Sox have the second-best odds in the division at 12.8 percent. The Twins still have a chance at 0.4 percent.
Remaining schedules
Guardians (15 games): at White Sox (three), at Rangers (three), vs. Rays (three), vs. Royals (six)
White Sox (15 games): vs. Guardians (three), vs. Tigers (three), at Twins (three), at Padres (three), vs. Twins (three)
Twins (15 games): at Royals (three), vs. Angels (three), vs. White Sox (three), at Tigers (three), at White Sox (three)