The Cleveland Guardians got exactly what they needed on Tuesday night at Progressive Field: a 7-6 walk-off win over the Chicago White Sox, a split-tightening result that leaves the series knotted and sets up a decisive finale on Wednesday.
And once again, the finish belonged to Brayan Rocchio.
With Cleveland down 6-5 in the bottom of the ninth, Rocchio stepped in with two outs, runners on second and third, and no room for error. He was down to his last strike when he attacked a high fastball and sent it past the left fielder for a two-run double that flipped the game on its head and sent the Guardians home happy.
It was Rocchio’s fourth walk-off hit of the season, and it directly accounted for the fourth Guardians win he’s delivered this year. His bat can come and go, but when the game is hanging by a thread, he keeps finding a way.
Cleveland’s comeback completed a night that started with a burst of power. The Guardians jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first, with Steven Kwan on first when Jo Adell launched his 22nd homer of the year for a two-run shot. Travis Bazzana followed with a solo blast, and just like that Cleveland had early control.
Foster Griffin held up for four innings, allowing two runs while giving up five hits, walking two and striking out five. The White Sox started chipping away in the fourth when Brenton Doyle opened with a triple and Sam Antonacci brought him in with an RBI single.
Chicago kept pressing. Miguel Vargas knocked in Tristan Peters with a sac fly in the fifth, and a throwing error by White Sox pitcher Davis Martin on a pickoff attempt let Rocchio score Cleveland’s fourth run, stretching the lead to 4-2. But the White Sox kept coming.
Craig Yoho ran into trouble in the sixth, loading the bases with one out before Hunter Gaddis took over. Gaddis couldn’t stop the slide, giving up an RBI single to Chase Meidroth and a game-tying sac fly to Randal Grichuk. Vargas then followed with a go-ahead two-run single that scored Peters and Meidroth, pushing Chicago in front 6-4.
Cleveland answered right back. Bazzana crushed his second solo home run of the night in the bottom of the sixth to pull the Guardians within one at 6-5.
From there, the bullpen held the line. Tim Herrin worked a clean inning after Gaddis, and Cade Smith added five outs, giving the offense a chance to steal it late. That’s exactly what happened.
Nathaniel Lowe opened the ninth with a single. Angel Genao struck out, Patrick Bailey walked, and Petey Halpin’s groundout moved both runners into scoring position. Rocchio then finished it off.
Cleveland is now half a game behind the White Sox for first place in the AL Central, sitting at 77-75 while Chicago is 77-74. The Guardians will hand the ball to Parker Messick in Wednesday’s finale at 1:10 pm ET, with a chance to move ahead of the White Sox in the division.
In Other News...
Guardians Escaped A Bullpen Meltdown In The Best Possible Way
Brayan Rocchio spent the late innings turning a messy afternoon into something the Guardians could live with, and maybe even enjoy. His two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the ninth delivered a 7-6 walk-off win over the White Sox, rescuing Cleveland after a bullpen stumble erased a two-run lead and flipped the game into a 6-4 deficit by the middle innings.
For a team trying to hold ground in the AL Central, the timing mattered as much as the finish. Cleveland had already watched Chicago take one game in the division race, and a second straight loss would have made the weekend feel far heavier, but Rocchios hit gave the Guardians the best possible escape route and a much cleaner ending than the one they had been headed toward. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Rookie Just Delivered The Response Cleveland Needed Most
Petey Halpin gave the Guardians the kind of answer a young player is often asked to provide, and he did it in a game that carried real weight in the AL Central race. After an early defensive misplay, the rookie settled in and came up with the biggest swing of the night against the White Sox, turning a tight game into a 6-3 Cleveland win that pushed the club into first place.
The performance mattered for more than just the final score. Halpin had not done much in limited success against left-handed pitching before this one, so the go-ahead blast stood out as a clear step forward, especially since it was his first home run off a lefty. Teammates and coaches viewed the night as more than a hot streak, seeing it as a sign of poise and leadership from a player who kept responding after a rough start. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Just Grabbed Back First Place At The Perfect Time
Parker Messick and Anthony Kay gave this game the kind of early shape both clubs have come to expect, with Cleveland and Chicago leaning on the arms they put on the mound and waiting for someone to break through. The Guardians were the ones who did it first, pushing ahead in the third inning and then adding to the margin later as the lineup found enough traffic to make the lead feel a little more secure.
Jo Adell, Tommy Pham and Petey Halpin were part of the run-support backbone, with Jose also contributing in the kind of game where every extra baserunner matters. From there, the bullpens had plenty to sort out, and Hagen Smith, Sean Newcomb and Hunter Gaddis all ended up in the middle of it as Cleveland protected an advantage that had both immediate importance and a little larger meaning in the standings. [Read more 🡒]