The Guardians didn’t waste any time reclaiming the top spot in the AL Central.
Cleveland beat the White Sox on Wednesday afternoon and, with the win, moved back into first place at 78-75 with nine games left. Chicago had already locked up the season tiebreaker on Monday night, so the division picture still isn’t fully settled. The Sox get another shot Thursday, when they can pull even again with the Guardians holding the edge on the tiebreaker.
Parker Messick got the start for Cleveland and, at least early, it looked like a familiar kind of afternoon against Chicago. Messick has already handled the White Sox well this year, and he entered the game with 19.2 innings against them, five earned runs allowed and a 2.28 ERA in the matchup.
Chicago answered with left-hander Anthony Kay, who has quietly turned into one of those annoying Cleveland problems. Before Wednesday, Kay had already worked three starts against the Guardians this season and had allowed just one run over 16 innings.
In those outings, he went 6 innings with 3 hits, 3 BB/HBP, 8 strikeouts and no runs; 4 innings with 1 hit, 2 BB/HBP, 2 strikeouts and 1 run; and 6 innings with 6 hits, 2 BB/HBP, 4 strikeouts and 2 runs. That left him with a 1.12 ERA against Cleveland this year, a sharp contrast to his career 4.90 mark and his 4.50 ERA this season.
Through two innings, both pitchers were mostly on script. Then Cleveland finally cracked through in the third. There was some defensive help involved, but with two outs Jo Adell came through with a two-run single to put the Guardians ahead for the second straight day.
Messick ran into a little more resistance after that. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fourth, but Chicago got him in the fifth when Tommy Pham launched a three-run homer into the bleachers to flip the game.
That might have been the point where a lot of teams would start looking ahead to tomorrow. Not these Guardians.
With Kay out of the game, the White Sox turned to Hagen Smith for the sixth. He recorded two outs but also issued two walks, which led Chicago to another left-hander, Sean Newcomb. Cleveland had seen enough.
Petey Halpin made Newcomb pay immediately, taking a 3-1 pitch deep for a three-run homer to swing the game back to the Guardians. Cleveland added another run after two two-out walks and a double by Jose, giving the Guardians a 6-3 lead heading to the seventh.
Steven Vogt then went to Hunter Gaddis with Messick at 86 pitches and having had a long break in the sixth. Gaddis gave up a double but nothing more, and Erik Sabrowski handled the eighth until two walks put him in trouble.
That brought Cade Smith in for the kind of late-game assignment Cleveland has been trusting him with all season. He faced four batters, got through them quickly and locked down his 37th save.
The Guardians are off Thursday before finishing their final home series of the regular season against the A’s this weekend. The White Sox head to Detroit for a four-game series. Both teams are off Monday before closing the season with six straight games.
In Other News...
Guardians Rookie Just Delivered The Response Cleveland Needed Most
Petey Halpin gave Cleveland exactly the kind of night a young player can use to change the conversation. After an early defensive misplay, the rookie answered with the biggest swing of the game, a go-ahead three-run homer against the White Sox that helped the Guardians beat Chicago 6-3 and move into first place in the AL Central. It was the sort of response teams remember, especially from a player still trying to carve out his place on a club with real division ambitions.
Halpins night carried a little extra weight because of the matchup, too. He had not done much against left-handed pitching before, but he came through with his first home run off a lefty and added key hits along the way, drawing praise from teammates and coaches for the way he handled the moment. For Cleveland, it was more than a promising rookie performance. It was the kind of contribution that can steady a dugout and hint at what the Guardians might have in him going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Face A Steven Kwan Decision Fans May Hate
Steven Kwans name has become one of the more interesting long-term conversations around Cleveland as the season moves along, because the Guardians are staring at a familiar kind of front-office crossroads. He is entering the final year of his contract, and after 2027 he could be on track for free agency, which makes his future a real issue for a club that has to balance present value with the realities of its roster cycle.
Kwans season has still carried plenty of value, with his overall impact showing up strongly in bWAR even as his offense has been a little below his usual standard. That tension is what makes the coming offseason so delicate for Cleveland: whether to explore a trade while his market is still strong or push for a long-term extension and keep one of its most recognizable everyday players in place. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Have An Unexpected Tigers Subplot In The AL Central Race
The AL Central race has taken a few strange turns lately, and the Tigers have become part of the Guardians backdrop in a way nobody would have expected a month ago. Detroits early-August sell-off, followed by Riley Greenes hamstring injury, helped knock the Tigers off course, and the club has spent much of the stretch drifting on the edge of contention while Cleveland keeps pressing for a postseason spot.
Greenes return has added another wrinkle, because his recent production has helped stabilize a lineup that went through a rough patch after his injury. For the Guardians, the interest is less about Detroit than about the ripple effect in the standings, where every Tigers result can still matter as Cleveland tries to stay in the race. The odd part is that one of the divisions most watched players now has a chance to shape the path of a team that isnt his own. [Read more 🡒]