Guardians 6, White Sox 5 (10 innings): Not enough comebacks to go around

The South Siders lose in extra innings after fighting back in throughout the game

A long, back-and-forth game between the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox ends in a 6-5 win for the Guardians in 10 innings, as they walk into the All-Star break with a series win over the South Siders.

Aaron Civale and Joey Cantillo battled it out early on, both going scoreless through three innings. It seems the impact of the four-person first-pitch wore off on the starters early on.

It wasn’t until Austin Slater’s solo shot to left in the bottom of the fourth inning that a run came across the plate, giving the White Sox the 1-0 advantage.

The team added another run in the bottom of the fifth to go up, 2-0, as Miguel Vargas doubled to start the inning, moved to third on a ground ball, and made his way around to home on a Michael A. Taylor sacrifice fly:

Chase Meidroth re-started the inning with two outs as he doubled, and Slater capitalized with a single to drive him in for a seemingly-comfortable 3-0 lead.

Unfortunately, the lead didn’t last for long, as the Guardians came out swinging to start the sixth inning. Civale had been doing great up until this inning, when things started going south. With one out, a Brayan Rocchio double and back-to-back walks to Steven Kwan and Nolan Jones loaded the bases for ... who else than José Ramírez ... known Sox killer.

Luckily the damage was minimal, as a force out scored a run. Vargas fielded the ball and threw to second, and it maybe could have been a double play ball, but nobody was covering first to even attempt a second out. Then of course, that missed out became costly, as next batter up Kyle Manzardo hit a three-run home run to right to take a 4-3 lead.

That would be the end of the line for Civale, who was maybe just left in a little too long. He ended with 5 2⁄3 IP, three hits, four runs, two walks, and three strikeouts.

Cantillo, who has actually flexed as a starter and bullpen arm this year, lasted into the bottom of the sixth inning. Maybe that wasn’t the best idea though, as Andrew Benintendi tied the game back up at 4-4 with one swing of the bat.

Cantillo was removed after 5 1⁄3 IP, seven hits, four runs, and six strikeouts.

The Guardians re-took the lead again in the top of the eighth inning with Grant Taylor on the mound. A Kwan walk, Jones single, and sacrifice fly brought around Kwan for the 5-4 lead.

The lead didn’t last long, as the South Siders had one last comeback left in them in the bottom half of the inning. Edgar Quero doubled, and Benintendi was intentionally walked to get to Luis Robert Jr. with two outs, two on. Robert Jr. wasted no time, as he came up clutch with an RBI double to score a run and tie it back up at 5-5.

Huge confidence booster for Robert I’d assume, as he was finally able to deliver in a big spot for the team.

Neither team was able to score in the ninth inning, sending this one to the 10th with a ghost runner for the Guards. Brandon Eisert took over for Taylor, and the Guardians managed to get the run around for a 6-5 lead thanks to an infield single from David Fry (which could have also been an error at third by Colson Montgomery) and a sacrifice fly by Kwan.

Emmanuel Clase stayed in the game for the 10th inning and well ... that’s never good. He went 1-2-3 to end the game, secure the series, and go into the All-Star break with a win.

The White Sox go into the All-Star break with one representative (Shane Smith), a 32-65 record, and a 4-6 record in their last 10 games. They have five more wins than they did last season at the All-Star break, as they went into the break at 27-70. This break will be well-needed, and hopefully the second half of the season continues to grow, as does the young core.

They’ll open up the second half of the season on Friday in Pittsburgh as they play the Pirates at 5:40 p.m. CT. Until then, there will still be plenty of MLB action to go around, from the MLB Draft, Home Run Derby, and the All-Star Game on Tuesday. We will see you back here for more baseball on Friday.

What are the overall thoughts on the first half of the season so far? Personally, I am more optimistic than I was at the start of the season. Whether or not mistakes are made, the team still has a different vibe and energy than last year. The young core will have their slumps, but it is still more enjoyable to watch than last season. It is a little unsettling to realize that they only have five more wins than the team did last year at this time, as it seems like they have been doing better record-wise than that. However, there are many more close games this season that make the team watchable and competitive, and that’s all you can ask for at this stage of a rebuild.

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Futility Watch

White Sox 2025 Record: 32-65, the second-worst start in White Sox history and tied for the 73rd-worst start in baseball history. A 32-65 record projects to 53-109 over a full season. A year ago, the record-breaking White Sox were 27-70, becoming the first team ever to lose 70 before the All-Star break.

All-Time White Sox Record (1901-2025, 19,302 games) 9,626-9,677 (.4987). It’s been 141 games since the White Sox had an all-time winning record. The White Sox are currently 51 games worse than .500 and falling under by 66 more games will land the team at its lowest point in its 125-year history.

Record Since the New Pope Was Revealed as a White Sox Fan 22-36

Race With the Colorado Rockies for to the Worst Record in 2025 9 ½ games better

• Race to the Worst “Modern” 162-Game Record (2024 White Sox, 41-121)
• Race to the Worst “Modern” Record in a 162-Game Season (1962 Mets, 40-120-1, finished three percentage points worse than the 2024 White Sox)
• Race to the Most White Sox Losses (2024, 121)
• Race to the Worst White Sox Record (2024, 41-121)

12 games better, in all cases

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