The Cleveland Guardians are one loss away from elimination after dropping Game 2 of the ALDS to the Chicago White Sox, 4-3, at Progressive Field.
Cleveland came into Monday night determined to treat Game 1 as a one-off, something to shake off and leave behind. For a while, that approach looked like it might pay off.
The Guardians jumped in front early, got a huge outing from their starter, and even found a little life late. But none of it held long enough to change the outcome.
The first inning gave Cleveland exactly what it needed: traffic on the bases and better at-bats. Chicago opener Anthony Kay never settled in, throwing just 0.2 innings while allowing a Steven Kwan hit, a walk to Jose Ramirez, and an intentional walk to Nathaniel Lowe to load the bases.
The Guardians cashed in for two runs, though the path there was messy. Lowe delivered a base hit with a launch angle of -23, sending the ball straight into the dirt in front of home plate, and Sean Newcomb added a throwing error to help Cleveland take a 2-0 lead after being shut out in Game 1.
With an early cushion and one of Cleveland’s two legitimate aces on the mound, the Guardians had a real shot to even the series. Instead, the game started slipping away almost as quickly as it had turned.
Chicago answered after a base hit to Kyle Teel, a walk to Miguel Vargas, and another hit from Munetaka Murakami cut the deficit to one. Williams escaped the inning, but the signs were there that he was running on fumes after overpowering hitters all night.
Even so, Williams still made history. He struck out 11 batters, but the effort did not put him in line for the win.
Once Erik Sabrowski took over, the inning unraveled. The left-hander couldn’t find the strike zone, didn’t get out of the frame, and was charged with two earned runs along with one inherited run. Just like that, Cleveland’s lead had vanished and the White Sox were suddenly up 4-2.
That was a tough hill for the Guardians to climb against Sean Burke, who has owned them all year. Burke was nearly untouchable again, working 5.1 innings, allowing only one hit and striking out six.
Cleveland did give the sold-out crowd at Progressive Field a brief jolt in the bottom of the eighth when Jo Adell ripped an RBI triple off Grant Taylor, but the rally stopped there.
Now the assignment is simple for the Guardians: win Game 3 or the season is over. And this time, they’ll have to do it on the road.
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If the series reaches Game 4, Parker Messick is expected to get the ball, adding another layer to a team already navigating the pressure of October. Messick and manager Stephen Vogt both addressed the challenge of handling the environment around a game like this, a reminder that Clevelands present and future are suddenly colliding at the same time. [Read more 🡒]
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Cleveland has already shown this October that it can shake off a bad start, rallying from a 2-0 deficit in the 2024 ALDS to extend its run. The challenge now is even more immediate after dropping the first two games of this series, but Kwans message was clear: the Guardians are not treating the moment like a lost cause. [Read more 🡒]
Vogt's Gavin Williams Decision Just Put More Pressure On Cleveland
Stephen Vogts choice to lift Gavin Williams in the sixth inning of Game 2 against the White Sox was made with caution in mind, as the Guardians manager said he wanted to avoid overextending the right-hander after 91 pitches. Williams had been working through a tough spot when he was removed following a single, and Cleveland was counting on the bullpen to keep the game manageable.
Instead, the relief group gave up more runs, and the loss left Cleveland in a deeper hole in the series. Now down 0-2 with the next games in Chicago, the Guardians face a tougher road than they wanted, and the decision to protect Williams only adds to the scrutiny as the pressure builds. [Read more 🡒]