The Chicago White Sox have given the Cleveland Guardians two different opportunities to take control of this American League Division Series. Neither produced a victory.

A pitching duel ended with a 3-0 White Sox win Saturday. An early two-run deficit Monday became a 4-3 comeback victory. Now, with a 2-0 series lead and Game 3 coming Wednesday at home, Chicago has shown enough to make a sweep the strongest prediction.

The White Sox can protect a narrow lead, survive an early mistake, and find production beyond their biggest bat. Those qualities should carry them into their first AL Championship Series since 2005.

Pitching has left the Guardians little room

The Guardians have managed seven hits through two games. That leaves almost no margin for wasted baserunners or missed scoring chances.

Saturday, five pitchers combined on a three-hit shutout. Grant Taylor’s four-inning save included six strikeouts, preventing Cleveland from building any sustained response to Munetaka Murakami’s two-run homer.

Monday offered a different test. Sean Newcomb’s first-inning throwing error helped the Guardians establish a 2-0 lead, but Sean Burke kept that advantage from growing. He delivered 5 1/3 innings of one-hit relief, allowing one run and striking out six.

Chicago’s ability to get extended relief from different pitchers matters. The White Sox have already demonstrated that an imperfect opening inning does not have to compromise the rest of the game.

The workload deserves consideration. Taylor has recorded 16 outs across the first two games, and Burke threw 83 pitches Monday. Tuesday’s off day gives Taylor recovery time, but manager Will Venable will need other pitchers to supply the bulk innings Wednesday.

Both Game 3 starters remain unconfirmed. Even with that uncertainty, the Guardians must prove they can consistently threaten a staff that has controlled nearly every inning of this series.

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Timely hitting gives the White Sox another advantage

Murakami supplied Saturday’s decisive swing and an RBI single Monday. However, the White Sox have avoided depending entirely on his power.

Gavin Williams struck out 11 in Game 2, yet Chicago stayed close enough to attack when the Guardians changed pitchers. Braden Montgomery delivered the go-ahead two-run double, and Chase Meidroth followed with the RBI single that supplied the eventual winning margin.

Those contributions explain why another low-scoring game favors the White Sox. Their lineup has found decisive hits from multiple places, giving Cleveland more threats to navigate when one baserunner can change the game.

The Guardians still have a credible path to extending the series. Jose Ramirez can change a game with one swing, and Monday’s one-run margin showed how little separates a comeback from a missed opportunity.

But Cleveland already received an early lead and an overpowering starting performance Monday. The Guardians still could not finish the job.

Returning home provides the final at-bat and an immediate opportunity to close the series. The White Sox should capitalize. Their pitching has limited the damage, their lineup has supplied timely answers, and their response to adversity has already survived an October test.

Expect those advantages to produce one more win Wednesday and a sweep.