The Yankees and Guardians are both staring at a hole that almost nobody climbs out of.
Cleveland dropped a 4-3 decision to the White Sox after Chicago broke things open with a sixth-inning rally, while the Yankees backed themselves into an 0-2 deficit with a sloppy 5-2 loss to the Rays in St. Petersburg.
Three of the four Division Series are now sitting at 2-0, and the postseason picture could get even tighter tonight if the Brewers finish off the Padres in San Diego. The only series still level is Dodgers-Braves.
Chicago’s comeback started with Miguel Vargas, who opened the sixth with a single that chased Guardians starter Gavin Williams. Erik Sabrowski came in and immediately ran into trouble, issuing a walk and uncorking a wild pitch that moved runners to second and third with one out.
Braden Montgomery then delivered the big swing, lining a two-run double to put the White Sox ahead 3-2. Hunter Gaddis took over for Sabrowski, and Chase Meidroth added another RBI single off Gaddis to make it 4-2.
Cleveland got one back but never caught up.
That win put the White Sox in position to do something they haven’t done in 120 years: clinch a playoff series at home. The last time it happened was the 1906 World Series against the Cubs, when Chicago won in six games.
Since then, the White Sox have won only five postseason series - the 1917 World Series, three during their 2005 title run, and last week’s wild-card series against the Astros - and none ended on their home field. Now they have a shot to change that after three straight 100-loss seasons, including the historic 121-loss season in 2024.
The Yankees, by contrast, are heading back to the Bronx with their season suddenly in real danger after two ugly games in St. Petersburg.
Game 1 was already a rough offensive night. Game 2 was worse in a different way.
New York committed four errors, three of them in the first inning, and handed the Rays a 5-2 win. “It’s a tough loss.
We beat ourselves today, in a lot of ways,” said second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., who was charged with one of the errors. “These are some of the best defenders I’ve ever played with.
For me, it hurts us a little bit more than you think.”
The mistakes made an already difficult outing even heavier for Cam Schlittler. The Cy Young favorite entered the night having ranked fifth in the majors with 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings this season, but he managed only two strikeouts over 4 ⅓ innings.
History is working against the Yankees, too. In best-of-five series, teams that fall behind 0-2 have won only 10 of 92 times. If New York wants something to cling to, there’s at least this: the last team to pull it off was the 2017 Yankees.
Elsewhere, the night produced a few memorable moments. Devaughn Vele hauled in a toe-tap touchdown for the Saints, though it came with a minute left and only trimmed the Falcons’ lead to three touchdowns.
Brian Robinson Jr. powered in for his third touchdown of the night. Bijan Robinson ripped off a 59-yard score on the third play of the game.
And Spencer Jones had one of the strangest flyouts you’ll ever see, with a ball striking the catwalk in the Trop and hanging in the air forever.
Tonight’s schedule includes Dodgers at Braves at 6 p.m. ET on FS1, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto set to start against Chris Sale, who has a 1.96 ERA over his final 24 regular-season starts.
Later, the Padres will turn to Nick Pivetta at 9:30 p.m. ET on FS1 as they try to keep their season alive after dropping the first two games in Milwaukee in heartbreaking fashion.
In Other News...
Cam Schlittlers Brutal Reaction Says Everything About These Yankees
Cam Schlittler gave the Yankees exactly the kind of performance that usually buys a win in October, working eight innings and allowing just one run with eight strikeouts even as the defense behind him wobbled throughout the afternoon. Tampa Bay still walked away with a 5-2 victory to grab a 2-0 lead in the American League Division Series, a game that quickly became less about the scoreboard and more about how New York failed to support one of its best outings of the season.
Afterward, Schlittler took the loss on himself and was blunt about the clubs overall performance, a reaction that reflected how frustrating this series has become for the Yankees. Aaron Boone pointed to the defensive issues while still praising Schlittler for keeping the game within reach, but the bigger concern now is obvious: New York has run out of room for mistakes, and the tone coming out of the clubhouse suggests the players know it. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Boone Just Made Yankees Fans Even More Furious
With the Yankees trying to steady themselves before their playoff series against the Rays, Aaron Boone found himself answering for a defensive group that has given fans plenty to grumble about. The manager addressed Trent Grishams defense and said there is room for improvement, but he pushed back on the idea that this is a bad defensive team even after the club piled up errors.
The concern is hard to wave away when the mistakes are happening on the October stage, and Game 2 of the Division Series only deepened the frustration. New York committed multiple errors in that game, including a franchise first with three errors in a single playoff inning, leaving Boone to defend a unit that has become an increasingly uncomfortable talking point at exactly the wrong time. [Read more 🡒]
Luis Garca Jr.'s Next Yankees Decision Could Change How He's Viewed
The Yankees trade deadline swap for Luis Garca Jr. gave them another left-handed bat and a player with some versatility, even if most of his work since arriving has come at first base. Aaron Boone has already floated the possibility of moving Garca back to second base down the road, which would give the club another option as it tries to juggle a roster that could be shaped by Giancarlo Stantons contract status and Jazz Chisholm Jr.s defensive fit.
It is a notable idea because Garcas old position is also the one where he has had trouble before, and the Yankees know any move there would be about more than simply finding an open glove. If Garca can handle second again, it would change the way the organization views him and add a layer of flexibility Boone values, but for now it remains one of the quieter offseason questions hanging over a roster that is still being sorted out. [Read more 🡒]