The Cleveland Guardians kept their season alive in Game 3, and the trade-deadline additions were right in the middle of it.
After dropping the first two games at home to the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland answered with a 9-3 win to avoid elimination. Foster Griffin steadied the pitching after a shaky start, and Jo Adell delivered the kind of damage the Guardians were hoping for when they brought him in.
Daniel Espino got the ball as the opener in his first career playoff start, but his night ended quickly. He walked Sam Antonacci, allowed a single to Miguel Vargas, then struck out Munetaka Murakami before Kyle Teel lined a double for a 1-0 Chicago lead. After Espino punched out Chase Meidoth, Stephen Vogt went to Griffin, who got Tristan Peters to finish the inning.
Griffin settled things down from there. He worked a scoreless second and third, striking out Vargas, Murakami and Teel in the process.
In the fourth, he ran into trouble with back-to-back doubles before getting Braden Montgomery on strikes. That was enough for Vogt to turn the game over, and Griffin finished with 2.2 innings, two hits allowed, one earned run and seven strikeouts.
The left-hander’s path to this moment has not been smooth. Cleveland got Griffin from the Washington Nationals at the trade deadline, and he had struggled in nine regular-season outings with the Guardians after posting a 3.06 ERA in 22 starts with Washington. But in a must-win game, he gave Cleveland exactly what it needed.
The offense finally matched the pitching. Cleveland had been shut down in losses in Games 1 and 2, even with strong starts from Parker Messick and Gavin Williams. In Game 3, the bats woke up in the third inning.
Travis Bazzana drew a walk, Brayan Rocchio singled, and Steven Kwan followed with an RBI single to tie the game at 1-1. That forced Chicago to turn to Hagen Smith, who had put together a 1.29 ERA in 18 regular-season appearances. After Smith walked José Ramírez and got Chase DeLauter on a groundout, Adell came up with the bases loaded and two outs.
Adell has hit .298 with RISP since Cleveland acquired him, and he kept that roll going. He sent a 101.3 mph triple down the right-field line to clear the bases and push the Guardians in front 4-1.
It was Adell’s second triple of the series. He had already ripped a one-run triple off the wall in the bottom of the eighth in Game 2, nearly turning it into a game-tying two-run homer.
Cleveland kept adding on from there, scoring in the fifth, eighth and ninth to finish off the 9-3 win. Vogt went to Cade Smith for the final six outs, and the closer responded by striking out five.
With Griffin and Adell leading the way, the Guardians got the kind of return they were looking for at the deadline. Now they’ll try to extend the run again in Game 4, with Messick set to start.
In Other News...
Foster Griffin Gave Cleveland The Outing Nobody Saw Coming
Foster Griffin turned an unexpected bullpen call into one of the defining storylines of Game 3 of the American League Division Series, giving Cleveland a lift nobody likely had on the pregame card. In just his second major league relief appearance and his first this season, Griffin worked 2 2/3 innings and punched out seven, a showing that matched the clubs postseason record for strikeouts by a reliever and fit neatly into a night when Clevelands pitchers were overwhelming from top to bottom.
The bigger picture was even more striking. Clevelands staff combined for 19 strikeouts in the nine-inning game, setting an MLB postseason record, and Griffins burst helped underscore how much the Guardians leaned on a performance that came from an arm few could have expected to be central in October. For a team built on pitching depth, it was the kind of outing that can change how a postseason series feels, even if the larger question of where Griffin fits next is still waiting to be answered. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Just Forced The ALDS Back Into A Much Bigger Game 4
The Guardians made sure this ALDS is still very much alive, rolling past the White Sox 9-3 in Game 3 and trimming Chicagos series lead to 2-1. Cleveland got the kind of balanced night it needed, with Jos Ramrez delivering two hits and two RBIs, Jo Adell driving a three-run triple and Foster Griffin striking out a franchise postseason-record seven in 2 2/3 innings.
Game 4 now feels a lot bigger than it did before first pitch, with the series shifting back to Rate Field and Cleveland trying to turn one win into real pressure on a Chicago club that still holds the edge. The Guardians have already shown they can swing a game with timely hitting and a dominant relief effort, and now they get the chance to see whether that formula can force this matchup into a true grind down the stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Need One More Fast Start To Bring This ALDS Home
The Guardians most convincing punch in the ALDS came after they had already dug into the White Sox bullpen, turning Game 3 into a nine-run statement and keeping their season alive. Now the task is simpler on paper and tougher in practice: win again, send the series to a decisive Game 5 back in Cleveland, and make Chicago keep chasing.
Parker Messick is lined up for Game 4, and Clevelands formula is starting to look familiar. The Guardians need another fast start to put pressure on the White Sox early, then ask Messick to work deep enough to avoid exposing a tired bullpen too soon. If they can do both, the series shifts right back to the kind of winner-take-all setting they wanted all along. [Read more 🡒]