The Guardians are back in the fight, and now Game 4 shifts right back to the White Sox’s home park with everything still hanging in the balance.
After Chicago had a chance to close out the American League Division Series on Wednesday, Cleveland answered with a 9-3 win and forced a return trip to Rate Field on Thursday night. The White Sox still have the series in their hands, but the Guardians have life - and they’re handing the ball to Parker Messick with a chance to send this thing back to Cleveland.
“I’m ready to rock ‘n’ roll,” said Guardians lefty Parker Messick, a likely finalist for AL Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award.
Messick takes over after Cleveland’s pitching staff put together a huge night in Game 3, when Guardians arms combined for 19 strikeouts in the 9-3 victory. That total set an MLB postseason record in a nine-inning game. It also stood as the most strikeouts the White Sox have ever had in a postseason game, topping their previous high of 14 from 1983 at Baltimore.
Cleveland is leaning on a familiar formula here. Messick was the club’s Game 1 starter, and he’s already shown he can handle this matchup.
In his first outing of the series, he gave up two runs on four hits, including a two-run homer, while walking two and striking out six. He also had success at Rate Field during the regular season, including a June 23 start in which he fanned 10 and allowed two runs over 7 2/3 innings.
For the season at Rate Field, Messick owns a 2.45 ERA with 18 strikeouts and two walks in 14 2/3 innings.
The White Sox are taking a different route again. Hagen Smith gets the start as the opener, continuing Chicago’s postseason pattern of leaning on short bursts from openers, relievers and whatever else the game demands.
Smith already has two postseason starts under his belt, and Chicago has won both games behind him in that role. He replaced Bryan Hudson during Cleveland’s four-run third inning on Wednesday and allowed Jo Adell’s bases-clearing triple that stayed just fair down the first-base line.
Smith said after the game, “I feel good,” and added, “Everybody believes in each other and plays super hard and plays to the last out. So, super confident tomorrow.”
White Sox manager Will Venable has had to juggle his bullpen carefully with the back-to-back nature of the schedule, though Noah Schultz gave him a lift by covering three innings in Game 3. Venable said, “We'll evaluate where we are with the capacity for some of these guys,” and also noted, “Schultz was part of the plan today and did a nice job in the middle to cover some ground. Puts us in a spot where we're able to collect ourselves and reevaluate where we're at.”
Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt sees the same challenge from the other side. “We have an opportunity to win a ballgame and get back to Cleveland,” Vogt said.
“We know they're going to come out ready to go because they want to close it out at home. It's going to be another exciting game.”
For the Guardians, the lineup is expected to stay mostly the same after Wednesday’s outburst, with Austin Hedges catching Messick as he has often done this season. On the Chicago side, Venable is expected to go right-handed again against Messick, though he could also turn to left-handed hitter Sam Antonacci, who has been important to the offense.
Chicago’s listed lineup is Chase Meidroth, Miguel Vargas, Munetaka Murakami, Randal Grichuk, Tommy Pham, Kyle Teel, Brenton Doyle, Braden Montgomery and Colson Montgomery.
Cleveland will again need to piece together innings if it wants to survive. Messick going deep would help a lot, especially after Foster Griffin and Joey Cantillo combined to cover 4 1/3 innings in Game 3 and lighten the load. Cade Smith threw 19 pitches over two innings, and in a win-or-go-home setting, he should be available again in some form.
The White Sox also have rested options if they need them. Schultz, Tyler Davis, David Sandlin and Davis Martin all worked Wednesday, but Erick Fedde and Jordan Hicks are available to follow Smith.
There are no injuries to note for either club.
A few numbers stand out from Wednesday’s game. Adell is 3-for-7 with four RBIs after going hitless in Game 1, while Angel Martínez is 0-for-12 with seven strikeouts this postseason.
Chicago struck out 19 times in Game 3, so better contact will be a must if the White Sox want to finish the job. Miguel Vargas has reached base eight times in the series.
There are also a few more bits from the record book. Between Adell and Ramírez, Cleveland had multiple triples in a postseason game for the first time in franchise history.
Schultz became the third Illinois-born White Sox pitcher to appear in a postseason game in franchise history, joining Neal Cotts in 2005 and teammate Bryan Hudson. And Antonacci became the first designated hitter and rookie to lead off a postseason game in White Sox history.
In Other News...
White Sox Got An Unusual Midgame Alert During ALDS Tension
Tension was already high in Game 1 of the ALDS between the White Sox and Guardians when a pair of Chicago fans picked up on something unusual from the stands. Dave Williams and Jordan Lazowski noticed Cleveland players were signaling breaking pitches by tapping their helmets, and the observation quickly turned into a midgame alert that made its way to White Sox players and executives.
Chicago acknowledged the warning and addressed it during the game, a reminder of how closely postseason baseball is watched when every pitch matters. It was an unusual wrinkle in a playoff opener that already had plenty of edge, with fans in real time helping the White Sox stay aware of what was unfolding across the diamond. [Read more 🡒]
Will Venable Put White Sox Fans On Notice Before A Massive Game 4
The White Sox finally ran into trouble in Game 3, dropping a 9-3 decision to the Guardians and seeing a four-game postseason winning streak come to an end. Even so, the loss hardly changes the bigger picture in this ALDS, where Chicago still holds a 2-1 lead and has put itself in position to control the series at home.
Will Venable did not sound rattled after the setback, instead projecting confidence that his club can answer in Game 4 on Thursday at Rate Field. For a White Sox team that has handled the pressure well through the first three games, the chance to clinch in front of its own crowd now brings a different kind of edge, with Cleveland trying to force the series back into uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]
Hawk Harrelson Has A Message White Sox Fans Will Love Before Game 3
The White Sox are set for their first home playoff game since 2021 at Rate Field, and the mood around the ballpark is exactly what you would expect with a 2-0 series lead in hand. Even with the postseason spotlight back on the South Side, one familiar voice from the franchises past stepped in to help frame the moment.
Hawk Harrelson appeared on ESPN 1000 ahead of Game 3 to deliver a message White Sox fans were sure to appreciate, a reminder that his allegiance has never really faded. Harrelson, who retired in 2018 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2021, remains one of the clubs most recognizable supporters, and his timing only adds to the sense that this is the kind of night White Sox fans have been waiting for. [Read more 🡒]