In must-win game, White Sox fall to Guardians in 11
Before waiting out a 40-minute rain and playing a series that could make or break their trying season, there were mixed emotions in the White Sox's clubhouse.
There was hope.
"It's one of those things where we're going out there, we have no worries about anything that's going to go on," closer Liam Hendriks said. "If we can take care of what we can take care of, we know in this clubhouse that we can beat almost any team."
There was reality.
The Sox understood they were in a tough spot with the first-place Guardians arriving Tuesday night holding a 4-game lead in the AL Central with only 15 to play.
"Our fanbase knows what is at stake," reliever Kendall Graveman said. "We do, too. Unfortunately we put ourselves in this position but you have to keep battling and we have a chance against the team that's in first, which is a good thing."
Following a crushing loss to Cleveland in 11 innings, the battle just got much tougher.
In a back-and-forth game that went deep into the night, the Guardians scored 5 runs (3 earned) in the 11th off relief pitcher Jake Diekman and went on to beat the White Sox 10-7.
AJ Pollock hit a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 11th.
The Sox are still alive with two weeks to play, but they needed to sweep the three-game series to have a realistic chance at winning the division for the second straight year.
The White Sox could have lost in the 10th inning, but Jose Abreu's RBI single with two outs tied the game at 5.
The Guardians are the youngest team in baseball, but they've moved to the top of the AL Central because they play a solid all-around game.
"That's a great team over there," Graveman said. "(Manager) Terry Francona and their staff has done a good job with a young group of guys they're teaching the game of baseball to and they play a good brand of baseball. I'd like to give some respect on that end because they've played good all year.
"They've surprised a lot people because a lot of people didn't pick them and they have that chip on their shoulder."
The White Sox's best starter - Dylan Cease - was on the mound for the first of three against Cleveland.
Cease was on the mound against Cleveland for the first time since July, when he faced the Guardians twice and combined to throw 11⅔ scoreless innings.
"You hope you don't get him on a night when he has that 'A' slider," Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. "He had that one game in Cleveland where you could hear it. You have to make him work for everything."
The Guardians did a good job of that, forcing Cease to throw 50 pitches through the first two innings.
The right-hander was able to avoid serious damage, and a pair of highlight defensive plays from second baseman Josh Harrison helped his cause. While throwing 107 pitches, Cease allowed 1 run on 4 hits and 3 walks over 6 innings.
The Sox held a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning before Cleveland scored 2 runs in the seventh to tie it.
The Guardians appeared to take a 4-3 when Amed Rosario slide home ahead of Andrus' throw from short left field, but he was called out by home-plate umpire Shane Livensparger. The Guardians were out of challenges, so the call stood.