CHICAGO URBAN DAILY
CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)— Not like this. Not again.
The Chicago White Sox blew their second straight chance to clinch Thursday night, falling 9-5 to the Cleveland Guardians at Rate Field. The AL Division Series is going the distance — a winner-take-all Game 5 on Saturday in Cleveland, with the Tampa Bay Rays waiting in the AL Championship Series.
Chicago jumped out 2-0 in the third and the place was buzzing. Then the sixth inning happened. Cleveland sent 10 batters to the plate and eight straight reached — five hits, two walks and a hit batter — on their way to a six-run frame that broke the game open. Patrick Bailey’s go-ahead single started the avalanche, and Jo Adell’s two-run single off Grant Taylor finished it. Taylor, the Sox’s bullpen savior in Games 1 and 2, faced six batters and retired none.
Jose Ramirez — quiet all series, playing through an unhealed left wrist — homered and drove in three. Bailey homered too and drove in two. Guardians pitchers racked up 12 strikeouts while Sox pitchers handed out seven walks.
Miguel Vargas gave the South Side a flicker with a solo homer off closer Cade Smith in the ninth. Then Cleveland turned to Gavin Williams — their presumed Game 5 starter — to slam the door with the tying run on deck.
So the drought talk continues: the Sox have now missed two straight nights to clinch a postseason series at home for the first time since 1906. Saturday in Cleveland, it all comes down to one game.
Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily for postseason coverage.
Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.
