The White Sox had one job at Progressive Field this holiday weekend: Split the series and return from Cleveland with a one-game lead intact. And they did.
Now, you might have qualms with how they did it, getting walked off in the first two games, then ending up on the right side of a one-run game only after weathering two awful defensive innings and the failure to capitalize on a pair of bases-loaded opportunities late in the game. But a win is a win, especially when it restores sole possession of first place in the AL Central.
This is one of those rare wins where the list of things that went wrong is longer than what went right. The White Sox gave the Guardians a pair of extra outs in the first inning, then did it again in the fifth, and Cleveland scored three both times. The former frame blew up the opener strategy, and the latter threatened to ruin an effective-enough bulk outing by Erick Fedde.
But it turns out the White Sox did just enough offensively -- nothing more, but just enough.
The offense responded well to a gut punch in the fifth, when Chase Meidroth spiked a rushed throw to first after a terrific diving stop for a "single," and Colson Montgomery let a grounder eat him up with an extra hop, followed by Gabriel Arias hitting a towering three-run blast to tie the game at 6. They did so by loading the bases with nobody out in the sixth, as Braden Montgomery walked and Meidroth and Tristan Peters singled (Peters showed bunt, tried a butcher boy, then singled through the left side on the next pitch).
In came Erik Sabrowski, who almost got out of it. He retired all three batters he faced, and none of the contact was resounding enough to result in a typically productive out. But after Randal Grichuk came off the bench and hit too shallow of a fly to right, Sam Antonacci followed with a chopper to first. Kyle Manzardo charged and should've had an easy out at the plate, but he couldn't find the ears on it, and had to settle for the out at first instead.
That's the only run the White Sox scored over the final six innings, as they couldn't cash in another bases-loaded opportunity in the eighth. Nevertheless, it was adequate for Trevor Richards and Sean Newcomb -- the former handling four outs, and the latter working around a pair of runners in the eighth before a dominant ninth to close out the 1⅔-inning save.
It could have been easier. The Sox took a 2-0 lead on the first opposite-field homer of Kyle Teel's career, but Chris Murphy gave up three with the assistance of the gloves behind him. Travis Bazzana reached because Teel couldn't track a popup in foul territory and Antonacci slipped on wet turf after breaking the wrong way on a routine fly to left for a leadoff double, and two batters later, Chase DeLauter hammered an up-and-in fastball well out to right to tie the game at 2.
It didn't end there. Kyle Manzardo walked, took second on a wild pitch that looked more like a passed ball, and then Gabriel Arias' grounder handcuffed Miguel Vargas. Murphy should've had a third out when he struck out Cooper Ingle, but instead departed after a mound visit, when Will Venable came out to call for Fedde. The move didn't pay off initially, as Daniel Schneemann singled to center to give the Guardians a 3-2 lead. Adding one extra misplay tag to this recap, Peters airmailed the cutoff man and allowed both runners to advance.
At least the White Sox didn't take their defensive struggles to the plate. Tanner Bibee had to warm up twice due to a late pregame rain delay, and the Sox never let him settle in. Peters tagged him for a solo shot in the second that tied the game at 3.
An inning later, the White Sox All-Star Vargas led off with a double and came around to score on Andrew Benintendi's single to put the Sox back out in front. Colson Montgomery then came to the plate, swinging through an up-and-in fastball before scorching the second one he saw over the wall in right center for a 6-3 lead. That could've been sufficient were it not for his error two innings later, but all's well that ends well.
Bullet points:
*The White Sox are 4-3 against Cleveland with two series in the books and two more to come. Six of those seven games have been decided by one run, and the exception was their two-run win on Saturday.
*Braden Montgomery cut down Patrick Bailey at second on the catcher's attempt to stretch a single into a double for the final out of the fifth. He briefly succeeded, but Colson Montgomery kept the tag applied as Bailey lost contact with the bag.
*Fedde produced a typical sufficient line: 5.1 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HR. He allowed Venable to only use three relievers when including the opener, while Steven Voght went through seven arms after four innings from an ineffective Bibee.
*Antonacci seemed to have trouble with reads in left all game, but he was able to run down Khalil Watson's windswept drive to the left field corner to strand two runners in the eighth. He also played a couple innings at second base and made a diving stop to prevent the leadoff man from reaching in the seventh.
*The wind knocked down potential homers by Antonacci and Braden Montgomery, both of whom settled for flyouts in front of the 375 sign in the right center power alley. Peters' solo shot in that direction also barely left the yard when he seemed sure of it.
*The game was delayed 1 hour and 27 minutes by rain.
