Only the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians needed to extend their series another day, and the duo of AL Central teams will face off for Game 4 at Rate Park at 8 p.m. ET tonight.

Parker Messick will take the mound for a Guardians side that is desperate to keep this ALDS going. A win tonight would bring Game 5 back to Cleveland, which would be a welcome sight even though the Guardians dropped Games 1 and 2 there.

Opposing him will be Hagen Smith, a Chicago arm who has been mostly used as a two-to-three-inning reliever. The White Sox have used a bullpen-heavy approach throughout the postseason, and it’s worked for the most part after they achieved victory in four out of their five playoff games.

The postseason is the most exciting time to put some wagers down on America’s favorite pastime. Plus, new users can bet $5 on the MLB Playoffs and get $150 in Bonus Bets at DraftKings Sportsbook. The Sporting News has everything you need to know before wagering on Thursday’s lone ALDS Game 4, including odds, best bets, and player props.

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Expert picks for MLB ALDS on Thursday

Chicago White Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians (8 p.m. ET)

All odds are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. If you’re a new user for DraftKings, be sure to take advantage of their new user welcome bonus.

Best bet

The White Sox are still vying to clinch their first playoff series in front of their home crowd for the first time in 120 years (1906 World Series). They couldn’t get the job done last night, and Cleveland showed they weren’t quite done yet and cruised to a thorough 9-3 victory. The reward for yesterday’s win? A clear advantage on the mound with Parker Messick. Chicago’s bullpen strategy didn’t work very well either, after five of their six pitchers who made an appearance yesterday allowed at least one run. The White Sox have the advantage when it comes to putting a bat on the ball, but the Guardians have quite the leg up when it comes to their pitching staff, and that’s crucial when the postseason comes down to the wire. Take Cleveland to win and force a Game 5 at their home ballpark.

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Best MLB Playoffs player props for Thursday

After yesterday’s win, the Guardians are marching out one of their best arms in Messick for tonight’s matchup. The 25-year-old southpaw did start in Game 1 of this series, but he’s back just five days after he allowed two runs through 4.1 IP and struck out six. That strikeout total is certainly worthy of repeating with his team’s season on the line. In his two starts at Rate Field, he struck out eight and 10 batters. This is the biggest game of his young career, but Messick should rise to the occasion.

This series was never going to give ample blasts over the outfield walls. Murakami is the only batter in this series who finished the 2026 regular season with 35 or more home runs, and he hit a home run off of Parker Messick in Game 1. He’s hit 20 home runs at Rate Field this season, and Chicago needs him to show up for a better chance of slamming the door against a Guardians team with a vast advantage on the mound.

This SGP was listed on yesterday’s MLB Playoffs best bets, and it hit in the fourth inning; why not run it back? It’s never a bad bet to combine some of each team’s best hitters into a quick play like this one. Ramirez has already tallied a hit against Hagen Smith, Chicago’s starter for tonight’s game, this postseason. The third baseman had a massive day at the plate yesterday with a two-run triple in the eighth inning to blow that contest open. In addition, Meidroth has four hits against Messick, even though he went hitless during his Game 1 appearance. The 25-year-old has recovered well since then, with at least a hit in Games 2 and 3, so it’s best to tail that good form.

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