The Cleveland Guardians knew exactly what Wednesday meant. With their season on the line, they walked into Rate Field needing a win, and they got one in convincing fashion, beating the Chicago White Sox 9-3 to trim the AL Division Series deficit to 2-1.
This one had plenty of turning points, but Cleveland kept answering every time Chicago nudged back into the game. Jose Ramirez set the tone, Jo Adell delivered the knockout swing early, and the pitching staff did just enough to steady the night after a rocky start.
Chicago grabbed the first punch in the opening inning when Kyle Teel doubled to bring in Sam Antonacci. Daniel Espino didn’t last long, getting only two outs before Foster Griffin took over. Griffin immediately settled things down, striking out Tristan Peters to leave a runner at third and keep the damage from growing.
Cleveland’s offense finally broke through in the third. Steven Kwan tied it by driving in Travis Bazzana, and then the inning swung hard when the Guardians loaded the bases with two outs. Adell stepped in and ripped a bases-clearing triple that flipped the game into a 4-1 Cleveland lead.
The White Sox chipped away in the fourth, getting back-to-back doubles from Chase Meidroth and Peters off Griffin to cut into the lead. Stephen Vogt went to Shawn Armstrong after the first out, and Armstrong finished the inning without further damage.
Ramirez then took control in the fifth. He opened the frame with a double, stole third, and came home on a Chase DeLauter groundout.
Chicago got another run in the sixth after Hunter Gaddis entered for Joey Cantillo and hit a batter with the bases loaded. Cantillo, who had come on for Armstrong, allowed one run in 1.2 innings.
But every White Sox push got met with another Cleveland response. With the Guardians up 5-3, Ramirez struck again, this time lining a two-run triple that scored Bazzana and Patrick Bailey. That stretched the lead and put the game out of reach.
Cleveland kept pouring it on in the ninth. Angel Genao doubled in Nathaniel Lowe, and Brayan Rocchio followed with a single that brought home Petey Halpin.
The bullpen closed it down from there. Tim Herrin struck out the side in the seventh, and Cade Smith finished with authority, locking down the eighth and ninth while striking out five.
Ramirez finished 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, two runs and two RBI. Adell drove in three and collected two hits, highlighted by that bases-clearing triple. Lowe also reached three times, drawing three walks.
In Other News...
Foster Griffin Gave Cleveland The Outing Nobody Saw Coming
Foster Griffins appearance in Game 3 of the American League Division Series was the kind of surprise outing that can change the feel of a postseason game. In just 2 2/3 innings of relief, Griffin struck out seven, matching the Guardians postseason record for strikeouts by a reliever and helping fuel a night in which Clevelands pitching staff piled up 19 strikeouts, an MLB postseason record for a nine-inning game.
What made it stand out even more was the setting around it. This was only Griffins second major league relief appearance and his first this season, so there was no real reason to expect him to become a central figure in a playoff game with that much on the line. Instead, he gave Cleveland an outing nobody saw coming, and in October, those are the performances that tend to linger. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Kept Their Season Alive And Now Everything Comes Home
The Guardians are headed back home with their season still intact after a 9-5 win over the White Sox in Game 4 of the ALDS. Cleveland had to answer after falling into an elimination game, and the lineup delivered enough punch to force a decisive Game 5, with the offense breaking through in a big way and giving the club another chance to keep its October run going.
Jos Ramrez was right in the middle of it, helping steady a night that could have slipped away and giving Cleveland the kind of lift it needed when the pressure was highest. Now the focus shifts back to home turf, where the Guardians will try to finish the job and move on to the ALCS, with everything in the series now coming down to one more game. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Suddenly Face A Game 5 Gavin Williams Dilemma
A tense Game 4 win over the White Sox left the Guardians with a familiar October problem and a new wrinkle at the same time. Stephen Vogt leaned on multiple bullpen arms to protect the lead, and one of the more surprising moves was turning to starter Gavin Williams in relief as Cleveland tried to push the American League Division Series to a winner-take-all Game 5.
That usage now hangs over the next days planning, because Williams had not been part of the late-inning relief mix before and was asked to get through just one inning. Vogt said both Williams and Cade Smith should still be options for Game 5, but Cleveland suddenly has to sort out how much it can ask from a starter it may have needed more than expected just to survive the previous night. [Read more 🡒]