The Tampa Bay Rays have punched their ticket to the American League Championship Series after completing a three-game sweep of the Yankees, leaving Cleveland and Chicago to decide who heads south for Game 1 on Monday night. The White Sox still own a 2-1 edge in the AL Division Series, but Wednesday’s 9-3 Guardians win changed the feel of a series that had looked firmly in Chicago’s hands.
Key takeaways
- Guardians left-hander Parker Messick is scheduled to start Game 4 against White Sox opener Hagen Smith on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.
- José Ramírez broke out in Game 3, going 2-for-4 with a double, triple, two RBIs, two runs and a stolen base.
- Chicago’s bullpen-heavy October approach was stretched thin after seven pitchers were used in Wednesday’s loss.
- The White Sox can reach their first ALCS since 2005 with a Game 4 victory at Rate Field.
- A Cleveland win would force a deciding Game 5 back at Progressive Field.
Ramírez gives Cleveland the player it needs
The Guardians entered this postseason as the American League’s No. 2 seed and the three-time defending AL Central champions, but their lineup had been waiting for its centerpiece to look like himself again. Ramírez had endured an injury-marred season and had not resembled his usual force since left hamate surgery in June. His .368 regular-season slugging percentage was a startling number for a player who has long carried Cleveland’s offense.
Before Game 3, Ramírez was hitless in six at-bats in the series. He remained in the No. 2 spot because of his stature in the clubhouse as much as his recent production. Then he turned Wednesday into a reminder of the complete player he can be.
Ramírez doubled, tripled, drove in two runs, scored twice and stole a base. He also made a key defensive play in the sixth inning. Cleveland has acknowledged that his recovery will be a long one, with full health not expected until 2027, but the version of Ramírez who showed up in Game 3 can shift this series in a hurry.
Messick now gets the ball with the Guardians trying to extend the series. If Ramírez can continue to impact the game on both sides of the ball, Cleveland will have the kind of October spark it lacked in the first two games.
Chicago’s bullpen plan meets its biggest test
The White Sox had built a 2-0 series lead while leaning hard on short outings and bullpen volume. They became the first club in Major League history to win each of its first four postseason games without receiving more than four innings from any starting pitcher. It was an aggressive formula, and it worked until the Guardians finally found a crack.
Sean Newcomb supplied two scoreless innings in Game 3, but the game unraveled after Bryan Hudson took over in the third. Hudson allowed three runs, and four other Chicago relievers also surrendered runs as Cleveland steadily widened the margin. Both teams used seven pitchers, though Cleveland comes into Thursday with Messick ready for a conventional start.
Chicago will instead begin with Smith, who threw 21 pitches in Game 3. That puts even more pressure on the White Sox to get length from a staff already asked to cover considerable ground this month.
The atmosphere at Rate Field should still be charged, but it will carry a different tension than it did Wednesday. Chicago had arrived home with four straight postseason victories, including the first two games of this series on the road, and was one win from its first trip to the ALCS since 2005. The building was alive early in Game 3, only to quiet when Cleveland erased a 1-0 deficit with a four-run third inning.
Now the South Side has one more chance to close it out before the series turns back to Cleveland. A White Sox win sends Chicago to Tampa Bay. A Guardians win sends both clubs to a Game 5 in Cleveland, with the Rays still waiting to learn their opponent.
