The Athletics visit the Guardians on Saturday, September 19 at 6:10 p.m. ET at Progressive Field. Cleveland (79-75) leads the AL Central by a game over the White Sox with eight to play, and its magic number to clinch the division is 8. Tanner Bibee starts for Cleveland against Jacob Lopez.
Live Score
Game Info
| First pitch | 6:10 p.m. ET |
| TV | Guardians.TV (Cleveland), NBC Sports California (Athletics); MLB.tv out of market |
| Cleveland starter | RHP Tanner Bibee, 6-15, 4.16 ERA, 140 strikeouts |
| Athletics starter | LHP Jacob Lopez, 6-4, 5.02 ERA, 107 strikeouts |
| Records | Cleveland 79-75, Athletics 61-93 |
Why It Matters
This is the other half of the AL Central race. The White Sox play Detroit at 2:10 p.m. ET, and by the time Cleveland takes the field tonight it will know whether Chicago won or lost. A Chicago loss and a Cleveland win in the same day drops the magic number from 8 to 6 with seven games left, which would put the Guardians in position to clinch at home next week.
The Athletics are 61-93 and playing out the season, which makes this the softest opponent Cleveland could ask for at this point. The Guardians have won three straight and are 6-4 over their last ten, and Bibee’s record is worse than his season, with plenty of low run support behind that 6-15 mark.
AL Central Entering Saturday
| Team | Record | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | 79-75 | Leader, magic number 8 |
| Chicago White Sox | 78-76 | One game back |
| Detroit | 73-81 | Six back |
The live division table with magic numbers is on our AL Central standings page, and the Chicago side of the race is on Tigers vs. White Sox. Every game today is on MLB scores today.
The Bottom Line
Athletics at Guardians is Saturday at 6:10 p.m. ET. Cleveland leads the AL Central by a game with a magic number of 8, and the score card above updates through the game.