Chicago rallied from two runs down to tie the game in the ninth, but it wasn't enough. Kahlil Watson singled to left in the 10th inning, scoring Petey Halpin to give Cleveland a 4-3 victory over the White Sox on Wednesday night at Rate Field. The Guardians needed every bit of it after nearly letting a three-run lead slip away.
Tanner Bibee set the tone for Cleveland, working 6.0 scoreless innings and allowing just 3 hits with 3 strikeouts and 1 walk on 89 pitches. With a 3.78 ERA, Bibee gave the bullpen a clean foundation to work from. Shawn Armstrong earned the win, his second of the season against one loss, tossing 1.1 innings without allowing a run.
Cleveland broke through in the sixth when Watson singled to left, scoring both Halpin and Brayan Rocchio to make it 2-0. Halpin scored again in the eighth when Patrick Bailey drew a walk, extending the lead to 3-1. Chicago answered in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Braden Montgomery, who scored Kyle Teel. Then, in the ninth, Montgomery homered to center — 411 feet — to make it 3-2, and Randal Grichuk followed with a 416-foot shot to left center that tied it at 3-3. The White Sox had life. Watson took it away an inning later, singling home Halpin from the tied state to put Cleveland ahead for good.
Grant Taylor absorbed the loss — his first of the season against two wins — allowing 1 run (0 earned) on 2 hits in 1.0 inning, with a 2.97 ERA. The White Sox finished with 10 hits but could not hold their late momentum.
Cleveland fell to 41-39 on a three-game losing streak. Chicago, despite the defeat, entered the game at 41-37 and holds first place in the division. Armstrong is 5 games away from 400 career appearances.