The Cleveland Guardians cruised to a series sweep over the White Sox, who continue to underperform in what’s already shaping up to be a tough year in the AL Central — and it's only April. Let’s break down how it all unfolded.
Nick Maton opened the game with a bloop single that somehow dropped between three Cleveland fielders, a play that should have been a routine out. This moment set the tone for the series — the Guardians repeatedly left the door open, but the White Sox simply couldn’t capitalize. Two errant pitches moved Maton to third, and he eventually scored when Matt Thaiss drew a walk. Unfortunately, Thaiss was caught stealing soon after, cutting the inning short.
Cleveland immediately responded. Steven Kwan slapped a single to right on the very first pitch, and with two outs, Kyle Manzardo launched a two-run homer to grab the lead. White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon managed to regain some composure by fanning Nolan Jones to close the inning, but the damage was done.
In the second, Austin Slater and Lenyn Sosa notched back-to-back singles, only to be left stranded. The bottom half was a breeze for Cannon, who set the Guardians down in order.
The third inning brought more of the same — a scoreless frame for the White Sox followed by fireworks from Cleveland. Brayan Rocchio doubled, and Kwan added to the lead with a two-run shot to make it 4-1. Cannon issued a walk to Carlos Santana but managed to retire the next two batters, including another strikeout of Jones.
The Sox’s offense continued to be lifeless in the fourth. Meanwhile, the Guardians loaded the bases with nobody out, thanks to a Noel single, a walk to Bo Naylor, and a fielding miscue by Sosa. He somewhat redeemed himself by fielding a tough grounder, but Kwan knocked in another run with a single, and the bases remained loaded. Cannon buckled down, striking out Ramírez and getting out of the inning with a ground ball.
In the fifth, Michael A. Taylor earned a walk, but the White Sox couldn’t bring him around. Cannon returned with a solid bottom half, shutting down Cleveland and notching another strikeout on Jones.
The sixth saw another 1-2-3 inning from the Sox, followed by a shaky outing from Cannon. He allowed a Naylor single, balked, and walked Rocchio before being pulled. Bryse Wilson entered with runners at the corners and one out. Kwan laid down a perfect bunt single to bring in another run, extending the lead to 6-1. Slater made a nice grab to rob Ramírez, and Rocchio was caught stealing home to end the inning on a bizarre note.
In the seventh, the White Sox went down quietly again. Jones finally picked up a single in the bottom half, but was left on base.
The eighth provided a bit of life with a walk, but nothing came of it. The Guardians got a single in their half but also failed to score.
Thaiss led off the ninth with a one-out double and Sosa followed up with a single, placing runners on the corners. But Baldwin’s liner was caught by Noel, sealing yet another loss for Chicago and a clean sweep for Cleveland.
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Nick Maton opened the game with a bloop single that somehow dropped between three Cleveland fielders, a play that should have been a routine out. This moment set the tone for the series — the Guardians repeatedly left the door open, but the White Sox simply couldn’t capitalize. Two errant pitches moved Maton to third, and he eventually scored when Matt Thaiss drew a walk. Unfortunately, Thaiss was caught stealing soon after, cutting the inning short.
Cleveland immediately responded. Steven Kwan slapped a single to right on the very first pitch, and with two outs, Kyle Manzardo launched a two-run homer to grab the lead. White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon managed to regain some composure by fanning Nolan Jones to close the inning, but the damage was done.
In the second, Austin Slater and Lenyn Sosa notched back-to-back singles, only to be left stranded. The bottom half was a breeze for Cannon, who set the Guardians down in order.
The third inning brought more of the same — a scoreless frame for the White Sox followed by fireworks from Cleveland. Brayan Rocchio doubled, and Kwan added to the lead with a two-run shot to make it 4-1. Cannon issued a walk to Carlos Santana but managed to retire the next two batters, including another strikeout of Jones.
The Sox’s offense continued to be lifeless in the fourth. Meanwhile, the Guardians loaded the bases with nobody out, thanks to a Noel single, a walk to Bo Naylor, and a fielding miscue by Sosa. He somewhat redeemed himself by fielding a tough grounder, but Kwan knocked in another run with a single, and the bases remained loaded. Cannon buckled down, striking out Ramírez and getting out of the inning with a ground ball.
In the fifth, Michael A. Taylor earned a walk, but the White Sox couldn’t bring him around. Cannon returned with a solid bottom half, shutting down Cleveland and notching another strikeout on Jones.
The sixth saw another 1-2-3 inning from the Sox, followed by a shaky outing from Cannon. He allowed a Naylor single, balked, and walked Rocchio before being pulled. Bryse Wilson entered with runners at the corners and one out. Kwan laid down a perfect bunt single to bring in another run, extending the lead to 6-1. Slater made a nice grab to rob Ramírez, and Rocchio was caught stealing home to end the inning on a bizarre note.
In the seventh, the White Sox went down quietly again. Jones finally picked up a single in the bottom half, but was left on base.
The eighth provided a bit of life with a walk, but nothing came of it. The Guardians got a single in their half but also failed to score.
Thaiss led off the ninth with a one-out double and Sosa followed up with a single, placing runners on the corners. But Baldwin’s liner was caught by Noel, sealing yet another loss for Chicago and a clean sweep for Cleveland.
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