The Guardians turned Wednesday afternoon into a full-scale statement at Progressive Field, knocking off the White Sox 6-3, winning the series, and climbing back into first place in the AL Central. Cleveland moved to 78-75, nudging ahead of Chicago, which fell to 77-75.
It all tilted in the sixth inning, when Petey Halpin changed the game with one swing. His three-run homer gave Cleveland the lead for good, and from there the Guardians kept control the rest of the way.
Parker Messick did enough to keep the door open. He worked six innings, allowed three runs on seven hits, didn’t issue a walk, and struck out seven to pick up his 12th win of the season.
Cleveland struck first in the third. Halpin started the rally with a single, Brayan Rocchio struck out swinging, and Steven Kwan then put the ball on the ground.
Chase Meidroth’s fielding error on the tag attempt left the Guardians with runners on the corners and nobody out. Jose Ramirez then produced the second out on a soft grounder, moving Kwan to second, and Jo Adell followed with a line-drive two-run single.
The White Sox answered in the fifth. With two outs and two runners aboard, Tommy Pham, activated from the injured list before the game, turned on a hanging curveball from Messick and sent a go-ahead three-run homer over the fence, suddenly putting Chicago in front 3-2.
Messick steadied himself from there, finishing the fifth and getting through the sixth without allowing another run. That mattered, because Cleveland’s response came immediately.
The sixth started quietly enough for Chicago. David Fry drew a walk, but the Sox collected two outs quickly after that.
Then the inning unraveled. Hagen Smith walked Austin Hedges, and Chicago turned to Sean Newcomb.
Halpin greeted him with a three-run blast, his fourth homer of the year, putting the Guardians up by two.
Cleveland wasn’t done. Rocchio and Kwan both walked, and Ramirez lashed a hard double - his second of the day - to bring home Rocchio and stretch the lead to 6-3.
Halpin finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored, three RBI, and the home run that swung the game. Ramirez added two doubles as a right-hander, Adell drove in two runs, and Cleveland’s bullpen handled the finish. Hunter Gaddis, Erik Sabrowski, and Cade Smith combined to cover the final three innings without allowing a run.
The Guardians are off Thursday before hosting the Athletics for a weekend series.
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 Just Grabbed Back First Place At The Perfect Time
Parker Messick and Anthony Kay gave the night an immediate feel of a game that would be shaped on the margins, and for a while that is exactly how it played. Cleveland and Chicago matched up with both starters leaning on the same trends they had shown against this opponent all season, before the Guardians found a third-inning breakthrough and started stacking enough contact and pressure to turn it their way.
Jo Adell, Tommy Pham, Petey Halpin and Jose all helped push the inning-to-inning advantage along, while the bullpen piece mattered just as much once the lead was in hand. Hagen Smith, Sean Newcomb and Hunter Gaddis each had a hand in the late work, and for Cleveland the bigger picture was as important as the box score: a win like this came at exactly the right moment in a tight race, with first place back within reach again. [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 🡒]