The Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians returned to the field Monday, Oct. 5, for Game 2 of their American League Division Series at Progressive Field in Cleveland, with Chicago looking to turn its 1-0 series edge into a commanding 2-0 lead. MLB Playoffs action resumed with first pitch set for 5 p.m. ET, airing live on TBS and truTV.
The Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians continue the ALDS with Game 2 on Monday, with Chicago looking to take a 2-0 series lead, with first pitch set for 5 p.m. ET at Progressive Field in Cleveland, airing live on TBS and truTV.
White Sox Silence Cleveland's Bats in Game 1
Munetaka Murakami hit a two-run homer, five Chicago pitchers combined for a three-hitter and the White Sox beat the Cleveland Guardians 3-0 in Game 1 of their AL Division Series on Saturday. Colson Montgomery added an RBI double for the White Sox, who have won nine of their last 11 games dating back to the regular season, and Chicago advanced to the division series after sweeping Houston in the wild card series.
Cleveland, which won its third straight AL Central title by one game over the White Sox, had the bases loaded with two outs in both the third and fourth innings but couldn't get any runs across. The White Sox went with a bullpen game for the second time in three postseason contests, and it worked again as the pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts.
Cleveland didn't log a hit off White Sox opener Hagen Smith, who tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings before walking three to load the bases in the third, though lefty reliever Bryan Hudson got Chase DeLauter to line out to left field to end the threat. Walks by Nathaniel Lowe and Austin Hedges and a double by Travis Bazzana loaded the bases again with two outs in the fourth, but Brayan Rocchio lined out to right field off lefty Anthony Kay, and Grant Taylor threw four scoreless innings to end the game.
Against five Chicago pitchers, Cleveland tallied just three hits and five walks, left seven runners on base and finished 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position. First baseman Nathaniel Lowe summed up the frustration afterward: «at the end of the day, we have to score, and today, we didn't.»
Anthony Kay Opens Again as White Sox Chase a 2-0 Lead
Anthony Kay (10-9, 4.44 ERA) got the start as the opener for Chicago, while Gavin Williams (14-8, 3.76 ERA) took the mound for Cleveland, with Sean Burke, who finished the regular season with a 3.34 ERA and 185 strikeouts over 172.1 innings, expected to follow Kay and handle the bulk of the innings. Kay has been clutch this postseason, getting out of some big jams without giving up any further damage.
White Sox Lineup
With Williams on the mound, the White Sox returned to their left-handed-hitting group, with Sam Antonacci back atop the order alongside Andrew Benintendi and Tristan Peters in the starting nine.
- Sam Antonacci, LF
- Kyle Teel, C
- Miguel Vargas, 3B
- Munetaka Murakami, 1B
- Andrew Benintendi, DH
- Tristan Peters, CF
- Braden Montgomery, RF
- Chase Meidroth, 2B
- Colson Montgomery, SS
Guardians Lineup
- Steven Kwan, CF
- José Ramírez, 3B
- Chase DeLauter, RF
- Jo Adell, DH
- Nathaniel Lowe, 1B
- Angel Martínez, LF
- Travis Bazzana, 2B
- Patrick Bailey, C
- Brayan Rocchio, SS
Gavin Williams Carries Cleveland's Season on His Arm
Williams finished second in the majors with 248 strikeouts and recorded double-digit strikeouts in an MLB-high 11 starts, while completing at least seven innings 10 times and setting career highs with 32 starts and 184.1 innings. Still, the matchup hasn't always favored him: he posted a 3.98 ERA against Chicago in the regular season, allowing 17 hits and nine earned runs.
Williams does have postseason experience, having pitched six shutout innings with eight strikeouts in a prior playoff start. The Guardians finished with a one-game advantage over the White Sox in the AL Central, which sent Chicago to the Wild Card Series against the Astros, while Williams and Game 1 starter Parker Messick anchoring the rotation was Cleveland's reward for its first-round bye. A loss Monday would put that bye-week advantage squarely at risk.
What Comes Next in the Series
Regardless of how Game 2 finishes, the MLB postseason shifts venues for Game 3. The White Sox will head home to play a postseason game at Rate Field for the first time since 2021, with the contest set for Wednesday, Oct. 7, in Chicago.
Chicago's run has already been historic for a club that endured a brutal stretch in recent seasons: the Sox won their first playoff series since 2005 with a wild-card sweep of the Houston Astros. If the series extends, Game 4 is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 8, also in Chicago, with a potential Game 5 back in Cleveland.
Cleveland, meanwhile, is trying to avoid a two-game hole that would leave almost no margin for error in the best-of-five set. Much like Atlanta's bullpen-driven approach in the winner-take-all opener strategy used elsewhere in October baseball this year, Chicago's willingness to lean on relievers behind an opener has become a defining trait of this postseason run.