Cleveland @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 27, 2014 ) Cleveland 2, Chi. White Sox 3

The Chicago White Sox have little to celebrate in the standings but are still getting a strong individual effort from rookie Jose Abreu. The Rookie of the Year favorite will try to lead the White Sox to a win when they host the Cleveland Indians in the rubber match of a three-game set on Thursday. Abreu picked up RBIs 95 and 96 in Wednesday’s 3-2 triumph, which snapped a season-high seven-game slide for Chicago.

The Indians cannot afford to be losing series to teams on the wrong side of .500 as they attempt to hang on in the American League wild card race. Cleveland sits 4 1/2 games behind the Seattle Mariners in the race for the second wild card and will face AL Central powers Kansas City and Detroit after finishing up with Chicago. The Indians are 3-3 in their last six games but have managed more than three runs only once in that span - an 8-6 win in 10 innings in the series opener on Tuesday - despite playing sub-.500 clubs Minnesota, Houston and the White Sox.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland), CSN Chicago

PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RH Carlos Carrasco (5-4, 3.14 ERA) vs. White Sox LH John Danks (9-8, 4.96)

Carrasco is riding a hot streak since returning to the rotation and has allowed a total of one run in 18 innings over his last three outings. The Venezuela native issued two walks while notching a total of 17 strikeouts in those three turns. Carrasco has never beaten Chicago, going 0-4 with a 6.81 ERA in seven career games - six starts - against the division rivals.

Danks is winless in his last five starts and has not made it through seven innings in any of those outings. The 29-year-old allowed three runs on six hits and three walks in five innings at New York on Friday - the third time in the last five starts that he issued at least three free passes. Danks was much sharper against Cleveland on July 13, when he scattered one run and eight hits over seven innings without factoring in the decision.

WALK-OFFS

1. Abreu has hit safely in 11 of the last 12 games, including seven straight.

2. Indians C Yan Gomes (concussion) is expected to be activated off the seven-day DL on Friday.

3. Cleveland needs two more wins to become the third AL franchise (New York, Boston) to reach 9,000 victories.

PREDICTION: Indians 5, White Sox 3