Sept. 11 – One of the reasons the Cleveland Guardians hold a 3 1/2 game lead in the American League ALCS is that the bullpen has the lowest ERA in the majors.
“They don’t care about when. They don’t care about why,” Guardians head coach Stephen Vogt said of his relievers. “They’re always ready to go into action.”
Because of that reliability, Cleveland is likely to overpower the visiting Chicago White Sox on Wednesday afternoon.
Six Cleveland relievers pitched seven scoreless innings in a 5-0 win over Chicago on Tuesday. Guardians starter Ben Lively was hit by a returner while going for the second inning and left the game with an injury to his right thigh.
That run in the second inning proved to be the only run the Guardians (83-62) needed against the White Sox (33-113).
Still, Cleveland kept up the aggression and held each of the four Guardians to two hits. Lane Thomas led the way with two home runs and a triple. Thomas batted .143 in August and .364 in September.
“Man, this game blows your mind,” Thomas said. “So don’t try too hard, just focus on the job at hand and good things will start to happen. That’s what I think.”
Chicago lost its 14th consecutive home game on Tuesday and set a franchise record by allowing just five hits. Andrew Vaughn went 2-for-4 with a double to lead the offense.
“I thought we had some good swings here and there, and we had some guys come in, but when guys came in, we weren’t that good,” White Sox interim manager Grady Sizemore said. “We were able to get our hands on the hitters and make them work, they were comfortable doing what they wanted to do and we weren’t able to adjust.”
Chicago would have to win 10 of its remaining 16 games to avoid tying the 1962 New York Mets for the most single-season losses (120) in modern baseball history.
Entering this week, one of the White Sox’ most lasting successes came against the Guardians. Chicago and Cleveland split the first 10 games, but wins on Monday and Tuesday allowed the Guardians to win the season series.
Chicago has lost 20 consecutive series and is looking for its first home win since Aug. 12.
The Guardians will get the ball in left-hander Matthew Boyd on Wednesday. Boyd (2-1, 2.20 ERA) continues to move on from Tommy John surgery.
Boyd has pitched at least 5 1/3 innings in five starts since returning Aug. 13. He allowed one run and three hits in six innings in a win over the host Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday. He struck out six without issuing a walk.
Boyd has started 18 career games against the White Sox and is 4-9 with a 5.12 ERA.
White Sox right-hander Davis Martin, who is back this season after Tommy John surgery, will get the call against Cleveland. Martin (0-3, 3.29 ERA) struggled Friday in Boston, allowing three hits in six innings. He fanned three times and gave up one.
Martin lost his only start in 2022 against Cleveland, allowing four runs and eight hits in six innings.
–Visual-level media
