The White Sox took the first punch in the Wild Card Series, and with it they moved one step closer to a Saturday trip to Cleveland.
Chicago beat the Astros 6-3 on Tuesday night, a result that carries real weight in Northeast Ohio because the winner of this series heads to face the Guardians in the ALDS. The White Sox still may need one more win to lock that up, but they put themselves in strong position with a road victory that mixed early offense with just enough late-game survival.
The start was all Chicago. The White Sox jumped on Houston right away, building an early cushion behind a 432-foot blast to dead center from Colson Montgomery.
Colson Montgomery off the batter's eye 😤
White Sox lead 4-0! #Postseason pic.twitter.com/n4V3fUMBdo
- MLB (@MLB) September 29, 2026
Houston didn’t go quietly, though. The Astros trimmed into the lead late with a Nelson Velázquez homer and a run-scoring error by Miguel Vargas after Jose Altuve hustled down the line to force the play.
That comeback push was no shock given who’s still in the Houston core. Altuve and Yordan Alvarez give the Astros real star power, while most of the White Sox roster is getting its first taste of postseason baseball.
For Guardians fans, the more important takeaway may be that neither club looked overwhelming. Houston opened with AJ Blubaugh, but he couldn’t even finish the first inning. Chicago, meanwhile, burned through most of its high-leverage relievers before the night was over.
The pitching edge in Game 2 should belong to Houston, with Hunter Brown set to start. The White Sox are lined up to go with Sean Burke, though it’s not yet clear whether he’ll be preceded by an opener.
Cleveland, by contrast, is set up more cleanly. The Guardians plan to lean on Gavin Williams and Parker Messick as their Game 1 and Game 2 starters in some order.
So while Chicago struck first, this series hasn’t produced a team that looks untouchable. The Guardians should be favored against either possible opponent, and the best outcome for Cleveland would be a three-game series that leaves Brown and the Astros trying to force it there tomorrow.
In Other News...
Guardians Have A Few Forgotten Names Who Could Crash Clevelands 2027 Plans
The Guardians are heading into the American League Division Series with the kind of roster fans know well, but the organizations long view is shaped by a few names farther down the depth chart. Right-hander Ben Lively has worked his way back from Tommy John surgery and pitched effectively in Triple-A, while Cooper Ingle has added value by moving between catcher and the outfield, giving Cleveland another flexible option to track.
Kahlil Watson is another player worth keeping an eye on as the club maps out its next wave. The young outfielder put together a strong minor league season and has already had a brief taste of the majors, which is enough to keep him in the conversation as Cleveland looks ahead to 2027 and beyond. For a team that has made a habit of finding contributors in unexpected places, these are the kinds of forgotten names that can quickly become part of the picture. [Read more 🡒]
Gavin Williams Just Gave Cleveland A Huge Reason To Believe
Gavin Williams spent the regular season giving Cleveland a front-line arm to lean on, and the numbers backed up what the Guardians saw every fifth day. He led the American League with 248 strikeouts, finished 14-8 with a 3.76 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP over 32 starts, and outpaced both Dylan Cease and Cam Schlittler in the strikeout race.
The encouraging part for Cleveland is that Williams did not fade as the schedule wore on. He sharpened in September, trimming his ERA and missing more bats while the Guardians were fighting for a playoff push, which only added to the sense that he was settling into the role they had been waiting for. For a club that has spent a lot of time searching for reliable rotation anchors, Williams just made the long view a little easier to picture. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Trade Deadline Looks Smarter As October Reality Hits Phillies
As Cleveland waits to make its postseason roster official, the early read on the clubs deadline work is encouraging. Nathaniel Lowe, Jo Adell and Foster Griffin are all expected to be included, giving the Guardians a chance to lean on the reinforcements they added when the market opened up.
Philadelphia offered a sharper contrast by unveiling its National League Wild Card Series roster without any of its deadline pickups, Caleb Kilian, Brooks Raley and Luis Arraez. Injuries have kept Kilian and Arraez out, while Raley was left off after a difficult stretch, a reminder that deadline deals can look good in July and much different by October. [Read more 🡒]