The White Sox are moving on, and now the matchup everyone in the division has been waiting for is officially on deck.
Chicago punched its ticket to the ALDS on Wednesday with a 7-3 win over the Astros, completing a three-game sweep in the Wild Card Series and setting up a best-of-five meeting with the Guardians that will begin at Progressive Field. The two clubs already know each other well after meeting 13 times in the 2026 regular season, with the Guardians taking plenty of memorable swings at Chicago along the way.
The season series may have gone the White Sox’s way by one game, but Cleveland had its own share of statement moments. Brayan Rocchio delivered two walk-off wins over Chicago, both against Grant Taylor, and Kahlil Watson added another walk-off single. Even with those moments, the two teams battled all the way to the end of the division race before the Guardians sealed it on the penultimate day of the season.
Chicago arrived at this point by leaning into what has defined its offense all year: power. The White Sox were fourth in MLB with 411 home runs, and they finished the season with three players who reached 30-plus homers - Munetaka Murakami, Colson Montgomery and Miguel Vargas.
That pop showed up again in the postseason. Montgomery supplied the big swing in Game 1 with a booming homer, and then second baseman Chase Meidroth delivered the knockout punch in Game 2 with a three-run shot in the sixth inning, coming just a half inning after Houston had trimmed the lead to one.
The White Sox also had to work through some pitching turbulence. They used eight pitchers over the two games, and that was the one area that looked vulnerable. Houston just couldn’t turn it into enough damage.
Chicago also started fast in both games, scoring in the first inning each time. That kind of early pressure only adds to the challenge for Cleveland’s pitching staff, which will have to be sharp from the jump if it wants to keep the White Sox from settling in.
For the White Sox, the postseason has looked a lot like the rest of their season: loud bats, big swings and enough chaos on the mound to keep things interesting. It was enough to finish off the Astros, and now it sends them into Cleveland with momentum and confidence.
In Other News...
Guardians Could Face A Game 1 Lineup Squeeze In ALDS
The White Sox did not follow a standard postseason script in their Wild Card Series against the Astros, leaning on bullpen games and openers before Sean Burke handled four innings in Game 2. That kind of pitching flexibility has become part of their identity in October, and it is expected to carry over into their best-of-five ALDS matchup with the Guardians.
For Cleveland, the wrinkle is less about who starts on the mound than how Chicago chooses to deploy Davis Martin. White Sox manager Will Venable is weighing whether to use him as a conventional starter or ahead of an opener, and that decision could ripple through the Guardians Game 1 planning, especially when it comes to lineup construction and platoon choices. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians First Base Decision Just Got More Interesting For October
Nathaniel Lowe arrived in Cleveland before the trade deadline and quickly gave the Guardians a steadier look at first base over 43 games, even if the bat did not quite match the production he had shown with Cincinnati. His offense dipped by traditional measures, but Stephen Vogt has kept pointing to the same qualities that matter in a clubhouse gearing up for the stretch run: a professional approach, veteran presence and enough lineup stability to help the Guardians keep moving.
The October wrinkle is what makes Lowes role worth watching now. He has driven in 27 runs and offered the kind of dependable presence a playoff team can lean on, yet the lower batting average and wRC+ leave the first-base picture a little more complicated than it looked when he first arrived. As the postseason gets closer, the Guardians still have to decide how much they want that steadiness to define the position if a bigger offensive spark becomes available. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Face One ALDS Decision That Could Shape The Series
A first-round bye gave Cleveland a few extra days to breathe before the ALDS, but it also handed Stephen Vogt a decision that could shape the tone of the series. With the Guardians entering the next round without having played in a while, the manager is weighing his Game 1 starter while also trying to keep the roster sharp through the layoff.
Gavin Williams and Parker Messick are among the options, and the choice carries added weight because Cleveland has spent the break on simulated at-bats and workouts rather than live action. The challenge now is striking the right balance between rest and rhythm, with Vogt trying to make sure his club arrives ready when the postseason games begin again. [Read more 🡒]