The White Sox had a chance to hang onto first place, and for a few innings it looked like a clean afternoon might be enough. Then the sixth inning arrived, and Cleveland ripped the game away.
A 6-3 Guardians win dropped the White Sox into second place by a half-game, ending their stay atop the division for the first time since early July. The swing came fast: Tommy Pham’s three-run homer briefly put Chicago ahead, but the bullpen could not protect it.
Hagen Smith entered after Anthony Kay had covered four innings and handled the fifth without much trouble, even after a two-out double. The trouble started in the sixth.
Smith walked David Fry, then struck out Angel Genao to get within an out of escaping the inning with a one-run lead. Instead, he issued a five-pitch walk to Austin Hedges, and Will Venable went to Sean Newcomb.
That move backfired immediately. Newcomb, who has been Chicago’s best reliever with inherited runners this season, fell behind Petey Halpin 3-0.
Halpin then turned on a thigh-high sinker on the inner half and sent it 393 feet into the right-field seats for his first career homer off a lefty. Halpin entered the game 2-for-36 against lefties in his career.
Newcomb was nowhere close to done. He walked the next two hitters he faced, then gave up a hard double into the left-field corner to José Ramírez.
By the time the dust settled, he had allowed two runs on two hits and two walks, and he has now been scored upon in five of six September outings. Jordan Hicks struck out the only batter he faced, and Noah Schultz retired all six hitters he saw, but the damage was already done.
For a moment, though, Chicago had the kind of answer that can change a game. Chase Meidroth and Randal Grichuk singled off Parker Messick with one out in the third, Miguel Vargas flied out, and Pham came up with a chance to do something loud. He got a hanging curve and hammered it over the big left-field wall for a 3-2 White Sox lead.
That homer was the payoff for an unusual decision that worked exactly once. Pham had apparently made his case to Chris Getz and talked his way into the cleanup spot, and for one shining swing it looked smart.
Kay’s night ended there, and that decision will draw the most second-guessing. He had already allowed two runs in the third, though both were unearned.
Steven Kwan’s roller to Meidroth turned messy when Meidroth charged the runner, tried to make the tag, and watched Halpin run through it while knocking the ball loose. Kwan was safe, Halpin moved to third, and Ramírez later set up the scoring with a tapper back to the mound.
Kay then faced Jo Adell, who had already walked him once, and this time Adell lined a two-run single to left.
Still, Kay had mostly done his job. He gave up just two singles and two walks over four innings and finished with 66 pitches, 40 for strikes.
The concern was the same one that has followed him lately: a third trip through the Guardians lineup. The plan looked like Smith for two innings and Newcomb for two, but neither reliever could get through the sixth.
The White Sox did have some individual bright spots. Meidroth went 3-for-5 with a run scored from the leadoff spot, and Grichuk finished 2-for-5 behind him. The rest of the lineup managed only 3-for-25.
There was also a brief scare when Colson Montgomery left after taking a pitch off his wrist. Munetaka Murakami had the day off until that point.
Schultz’s efficiency stood out even in a losing effort. He needed just 18 pitches to work two innings, though he did not record a strikeout. If Newcomb remains unreliable, that kind of relief work from Schultz may become more important than anyone first expected.
The schedule now gives Chicago a chance to respond quickly. The Guardians are off Thursday, while the White Sox face the Tigers, and that means the Sox can try to make use of the tiebreaker they still control.
In Other News...
Chris Getz Hinted At A White Sox Draft Reset Fans Should Watch
The White Soxs scouting operation is in the spotlight again after amateur scouting director Mike Shirley resigned amid an internal investigation tied to allegations of verbal harassment involving inappropriate racial and sexist comments. Shirley had been placed on administrative leave in August after an anonymous tip, and his departure came after an HR investigation, leaving another significant change at a department that plays a major role in the clubs long-term rebuild.
General manager Chris Getz has already hinted that the scouting setup may not look the same going forward, though he has not gone into detail about Shirleys exit. For a team trying to reshape its pipeline and restore some stability, the next move in that department matters almost as much as the departure itself, because the White Sox are now left to decide how they want to structure the group responsible for finding the next wave of talent. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Prospects Headed To Arizona Could Shape Chicagos Next Wave
The White Sox have settled on the group headed to the Arizona Fall League, and it gives a useful snapshot of where some of the organizations next interesting names stand. Pitchers Nick Altermatt, Jonathan Clark, Pierce George, Mathias LaCombe and Garrett Wright will be joined by catcher Grant Magill, infielders Anthony DePino and Colby Shelton and outfielder Caleb Bonemer, a mix that reflects both depth and a few players pushing to separate themselves from the pack.
For Chicago, the Fall League is less about the standings than the stage. Relievers Pierce George and Mathias LaCombe, along with Bonemer in the outfield, are among the prospects worth tracking after recent minor league showings, and this next stretch will let them test themselves against other top young talent. It is the kind of assignment that can quietly shape how a farm system is viewed, especially for a club still building its next wave. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Get A Colson Montgomery Scare At The Worst Time
Colson Montgomery gave the White Sox a scare in the middle of a game against the Guardians when he was hit on the forearm by a pitch and later left with a left wrist contusion. The good news came quickly after the game, when Chicago announced that X-rays were negative and Montgomery was listed day-to-day, but anytime a young player exits with a wrist issue, it tends to hang over the clubhouse for a bit.
Montgomerys timing hardly could be worse for a White Sox team trying to keep its playoff hopes alive, especially with the infielder already having a tough season at the plate. Chicago has been trying to piece together offense wherever it can find it, and now it has to wait and see how much time Montgomery might miss before figuring out what his absence could mean in the days ahead. [Read more 🡒]