The rubber game between the Guardians and White Sox was put on hold by rain on Sunday afternoon, with Cleveland ahead 2-1 in the top of the second inning.
Before the weather interrupted things, Chicago was trying to ride the right arm of Davis Martin and finish off a series win over Cleveland. Martin comes in at 9-6 with a 4.13 ERA, and he’s trying to bounce back from a brutal start in Boston on Aug. 4, when he gave up nine runs on 10 hits, walked two and struck out one over five innings. He also allowed three homers in that 14-2 loss.
There’s also the possibility Martin has been dealing with a pitch-tipping problem. White Sox manager Will Venable said catcher Kyle Teel, who is out with an ankle injury, spotted something from the dugout. Martin said the in-game tweaks seemed to help.
"Some of the adjustments we made thereafter, we started getting a lot more weak contact, a lot more swing and miss," Martin said. "I definitely think there's something to it."
Cleveland has given Martin trouble throughout his career. He’s 1-3 with a 6.45 ERA in five starts against the Guardians, and when he faced them on July 2 he didn’t get a decision after allowing two runs on six hits, with five walks and no strikeouts in 3⅓ innings.
Chicago entered Sunday with some momentum after snapping a four-game skid with Saturday’s 6-3 comeback win. That victory also pushed the White Sox to 60 wins in their 116th game, matching last season’s total, and gave them a three-game cushion in the American League Central over Cleveland and Minnesota.
Tristan Peters was a big part of that turnaround. He delivered a two-run double in Chicago’s five-run sixth inning, even though he has been in a tough stretch at the plate since the All-Star break, batting just .115 with two doubles and four RBIs.
"We are just having fun playing this game," Peters said. "We always take it day by day, and the most important game is today's."
The Guardians are countering with left-hander Joey Cantillo, who is 8-7 with a 3.87 ERA. Cantillo was knocked around in his last outing, a 6-2 home loss to the Mets on Tuesday, when he allowed five runs on seven hits with two walks and five strikeouts across five innings.
He has actually handled Chicago well in his limited looks, going 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA in four career appearances, including three starts. Over 20 innings against the White Sox, he has struck out 23 and walked only three.
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said Cantillo is close to being where he needs to be, even though he has gone 0-3 in his last four starts.
"For Joey, the curveball and changeup are still really good," Vogt said. "There's just a little bit of inconsistency."
While Cantillo works through that, Angel Martinez has been one of Cleveland’s hottest bats. He’s riding a six-game hitting streak and has hit .375 during that run with three doubles, a home run and nine RBIs.
"Angel has been great since he has been here," Vogt said. "It's really exciting he's playing well, he's doing a great job on defense and he's had big-boy at-bats."
Cleveland came into the series having dropped 11 of its previous 14 games, but the 8-2 win in Friday’s opener gave the club a jolt. Vogt said Saturday’s loss won’t change how his team approaches the rest of the series.
"This team is competing and fighting," Vogt said. "I love the way the offense is clicking.
The starting pitching has been phenomenal and our bullpen has been solid all year. We just have to keep it going."
In Other News...
Guardians Roster Churn Just Put These Former Top Prospects On Notice
The Guardians recent flurry of roster moves has only sharpened the pressure on the organizations other young hitters, especially the former top prospects still trying to carve out a long-term place. Gabriel Arias, Bo Naylor and Juan Brito have all been pulled into the churn through trades and designations for assignment, a reminder that Cleveland is not waiting around for anyone who stops trending in the right direction. For a system built around developing its own talent, every decision like that sends a message to the next wave.
Kyle Manzardo, George Valera and CJ Kayfus are the names now being watched closest, because the path forward for prospects in Cleveland has become even narrower. Manzardo was moved to Triple-A after the Guardians traded for Nathaniel Lowe, while Kayfus season is over after surgery on a fractured right ankle with ligament damage. Valeras recent performance and the broader uncertainty around the group leave the club with more questions than answers as it keeps sorting out which young bats still fit into the picture. [Read more 🡒]
Cooper Ingle Just Became A Real Guardians Lineup Option
Cooper Ingle is still with the Columbus Clippers after the trade deadline came and went without a deal, and that alone makes him one of the more interesting names in the Guardians system right now. He has forced the issue in Triple-A, putting together a strong run at the plate and showing the kind of bat that keeps a front office paying attention when the big league lineup starts to wobble.
Cleveland has already shuffled its roster recently, and the offense still has room to improve if the club wants more punch in the everyday mix. If those struggles linger, Ingle is suddenly the kind of internal option the Guardians can turn to again, with his production in Columbus making a return trip to Cleveland feel more realistic than it did a month ago. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Could Get A Needed Pitching Boost At The Perfect Time
Ben Lively is edging closer to a return, and the Guardians could use the reinforcement. The right-hander, who signed a minor league deal with Cleveland in February, has already spent two seasons in the organization and is now working his way back from the right forearm strain that has kept him out since May.
He is scheduled to make his fourth rehab start with High-A Lake County as the club pushes toward the season's final stretch. For a pitching staff that can always use another layer of depth, Lively's progress gives Cleveland at least a little more reason to keep an eye on the calendar. [Read more 🡒]