The Cleveland Guardians didn’t exactly get a clean night from Parker Messick, but they got something better: a punch-for-punch win that pushed this AL Division Series to a winner-take-all Game 5.
Cleveland beat the Chicago White Sox 9-5 on Thursday in Game 4 at Rate Field, a game that stayed tight for five innings before the Guardians’ offense finally blew it open. Now the series shifts back to Cleveland for Saturday’s decisive finale after the Guardians dropped the first two games and then answered with back-to-back wins in Chicago.
Messick never really found his rhythm. The ace was lifted in the third inning by manager Stephen Vogt after allowing two runs in 2.1 innings on two hits and four walks.
He struck out five, but the command just wasn’t there, especially with the changeup. Chicago jumped on him in the third, opening the frame with a single and a double before Randal Grichuk struck out.
Miguel Vargas then drew a walk to load the bases, and Munetaka Murakami forced in the first run of the game with another walk.
Shawn Armstrong came in and immediately gave up a sacrifice fly to Sam Antonacci, though he limited the damage from there. Cleveland had to dig itself out, and it did exactly that in the fifth.
Patrick Bailey, batting for Austin Hedges, got the Guardians on the board with a home run to right field that cut the deficit to 2-1. Steven Kwan followed with a single, and then Jose Ramirez stepped in against Jordan Hicks and launched a go-ahead two-run homer through triple-digit velocity. In a hurry, Cleveland had turned the game around and grabbed a 3-2 lead.
Chicago answered right back in the bottom half, and Vogt’s decision to start the inning with Tanner Bibee turned into a mess. Bibee, who hadn’t pitched since late September, recorded just one out and allowed two baserunners before leaving.
Murakami greeted Tim Herrin with a hard single to load the bases, then Herrin hit Antonacci to tie it at 3-3. Brenton Doyle followed with a sacrifice fly to put the White Sox back in front, 4-3, before Erik Sabrowski struck out Braden Montgomery to escape further trouble.
That lead didn’t last long. Cleveland’s sixth inning was the knockout punch, a six-run burst that flipped the game completely.
Angel Martinez was hit by a pitch, stole second, and came home on Travis Bazzana’s double to tie it. Bailey, Ramirez, Chase DeLauter, and Jo Adell then stacked RBI singles one after another, with Adell’s hit driving in two runs.
Just like that, the Guardians had ripped it open to 9-4.
Miguel Vargas added a ninth-inning homer off Cade Smith, but by then the damage was done.
Ramirez finished 2-for-5 with two runs, three RBI, and the big homer that put Cleveland in front. Bailey also delivered in a major way, going 2-for-2 with a solo homer, two runs scored, and two RBI. The Guardians drew seven walks, struck out only three times, and collected 10 hits.
The bullpen held up its end, too. Aside from Bibee and Smith, Cleveland’s relievers all worked scoreless outings: Armstrong, Herrin, Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis, and Gavin Williams.
Smith was supposed to cover two innings, but he only got through one after allowing Vargas’ homer and then walking a batter. Williams, who is still scheduled to start Game 5 as of Thursday night, came in to finish the inning and shut things down.
On Saturday, the Guardians will find out whether they move on to face the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Championship Series or head into the offseason.
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Guardians Suddenly Face A Game 5 Gavin Williams Dilemma
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